Cry for Hyrule
by Seldavia
Summary: Runs parallel to Wind Waker. The Hylian King has a few secrets he'd like to keep submerged and forgotten. Link learns he can trust no one in this endeavor, and discovers that even the most obvious of motives can have conflicting details.
1. Seagulls

Aryll gazed up at the seagulls circling from the tiny barred window in her wooden cage, which held two other girls as well as herself. Despite her fear, she felt a small sense of security in the fact that the birds could visit her even in a place like this, the dark fortress where she had been confined for days.

A few days previous, she had sworn she'd heard her brother's voice, but as of yet he had not materialized. Aryll kept faith in her brother. Though he spent most of his time sleeping, as he had been when she found him on his birthday, he had pulled her out of a number of tight spaces before. Nearly as frightening as her current predicament was the night she'd spent adrift on somebody's porch after a hurricane, unable to see where she was amidst the rolling waves. Luckily she'd not gone far; Link had been able to pluck her from the sea's jaws just from one of their canoes.

"And _I_ say they're going to eat us!" Aryll turned her head wearily to see the other two making the same arguments over the same subject they'd raised since coming here. "That's why those monsters have been giving you extra food, you nit. They want to fatten you up! Not that you need it," the well-dressed girl in pink snapped.

"If they were going to do that, they would have eaten one of us already," the pig-nosed girl retorted. "_I_ still say they're going to sell us. That must be how they get all the stuff they have…and for your information, he gave me that necklace and food because he likes me!"

"Well, if that's so, it's because you're ugly enough to be half-goblin yourself," the pink girl sneered. "I bet your mother was a goblin."

"Take it back!" With a screech, the pig-nosed girl launched herself on her tormentor, and the two engaged in a hair-pulling death match. Aryll sighed and turned back to the window.

A shadow from up the stairway outside caught her eye. "Somebody's coming!" she hissed at the other two, who halted in mid-tussle and immediately stood, brushing themselves off. They froze at the sound of heavy footsteps and trembled as a large, dark figure brushed past the window. The three huddled together as the doorknob rattled, shaking in trepidation at what new horror awaited them.

The door opened, and a very strange-looking person stepped in. He did not resemble anyone Aryll had ever seen either living or visiting her small island. He was huge; both in height and in girth, and had olive-tinged skin and flaming red hair, both on the top of his head and in a short beard. He wore dark robes with hanging sleeves, with an odd batik pattern on the back. At first Aryll did not feel him to be very threatening – he looked like a dark knight in a story-book gone to seed – until he turned his eyes toward her. His piercing gaze went right through her, and she felt herself go numb from her head to her toes.

It was the pig-faced girl who spoke first. "Please, sir, don't sell us or eat us. We don't taste very good, and we wouldn't be worth much money." The well-dressed girl looked nervous at this last statement, as if she'd be called upon to prove it wasn't true.

The fat man gave them all a little smirk as he unlocked the door to their little prison and stepped in, the girls skittering to the opposite end like mice. "You won't be sold or eaten…in fact, if none of you are what I'm looking for, you can all go home…"

His hand shot out and grabbed Aryll's wrist tight. She couldn't help but make a little squeak of fear and pain, but all he did was examine the back of the hand holding her. Apparently he expected something to happen, for when nothing did, he grunted in disappointment and let go. Aryll rubbed her wrist as he continued his strange examination with the other two.

"Who _are_ you?" she demanded. "What are you looking for?"

"Me? Nobody important," he said with a thin smile, as if hiding some secret joke. "On the other hand, I am looking for someone important, though she probably doesn't know she is."

The three girls stared at each other, simultaneously deciding that this man was insane. The person he searched for was not here; he sighed in frustration and shook his head.

He turned to go, then stopped and faced Aryll. Stepping over to the window, he motioned toward her to come near him. She did so, reluctantly, fearing what would happen if she didn't. She stiffened as he lifted her roughly and held her facing out the window, swatting at the seagulls. "Away with you, rats with wings!"

"Don't you hurt them!" Aryll felt a surge of confidence upon realizing she would not be harmed. "They're my friends!"

She winced as his incredulous stare bored into her. "Friends?" He laughed, a rich, bitter, mocking laugh. "Fair-weather friends, I suppose. A seagull eats anything it can find, girl. I've seen them feast on the bloated, floating bodies of the drowned."

Aryll couldn't even fathom a mental picture of this. The other two girls looked as if they would be sick.

"Girl, do you recognize that boy down there?" He turned Aryll's attention back to the window.

She couldn't concentrate at first, her mind focusing on recoiling at his touch. But she glanced down at the mishmash of guard lights and platforms, and spotted someone sprinting through one of the open hallways. Waving her hands, she exclaimed, "Link, Link! I'm up here, Link!"

"He's too far away to hear you. Is he a friend of yours?" the fat man asked. "Why is he wearing those clothes?"

"He's my brother! He's wearing the Hero's clothes because he's big now! He's gonna pound you if he finds out you're the one that kidnapped me!"

"Heh!" The mysterious stranger made no move to set the girl down. "Yes, I remember, the inhabitants of one of the islands dress their boys in that outfit when they come of age." He gestured toward a tiny canoe at the very bottom of the enclosure. "Do you recognize that boat?"

She squinted at the little thing in the water. She had never seen anything like it; painted red, with an intricate dragon's head at the bow. "No, it's not Link's boat. I don't think it belongs to anyone back home."

The fat man's eyes sparkled and he gave the girl a malicious little smile. "Well, girl, you think your brother is a Hero, do you? Why don't we see if that's true? If he is, then he can rescue you himself and I won't need to go through the trouble of sending you all back." He set Aryll down and opened the prison door, then locked it behind him, and left the room without a word.

* * *

Ganondorf walked a short distance up towards his cabin, then looked back at the tiny boat. From what he had heard from his spies, the boy had somehow found the boat in the middle of the sea, after being flung several hundred yards. Some reported that they had seen the boat _talking _to the boy. As insane as a conversation with an inanimate object seemed, the possibilities unnerved Ganondorf. The more he progressed in his plans, the more he got an eerie feeling that someone – or something – was watching him, waiting for the right time to make a reverse strike.

He paused and watched the boy make his way up one of the many ladders. Something about the boy's sword seemed strange. He could tell it was different from the previous one. It looked familiar, and yet not the same as the one that burned in his memory.

Entering his cabin, Ganondorf watched from the window, mulling over the strange events of the past few days. Somehow the boy had managed to raise the Tower of the Gods. This was not an easy feat. Three pearls of the Goddesses, set in three statues, could bring up the testing grounds created to identify the new Hero. Several people had managed to raise the Tower over the past several hundred years, but none had succeeded. Until now.

But something was not right. The boy had a guide – Ganondorf felt sure of this. He even had a guess at who that guide might be. But if his guess was correct…why had such a knowledgeable person allowed the boy to continue unprepared?

The jolt of power, which came when the boy had taken the Master Sword and broken the seal, had rushed over him, and he felt the thrill of freedom upon finally being released from his bonds. It was like breathing fresh air after being slowly suffocated in a small, dark room. He could feel the presence of the fabled weapon as it moved throughout the fortress. And yet he could sense that the teeth of the blade were still missing. He and his opposite had played a game of give-and-take over the past several hundred years, and he had found a way to dilute the sword's power. Strangely, though, he was sure that his longtime enemy also knew this. So why send the boy on a fool's mission with a broken sword?

Ganondorf could not understand his adversary's strategy. The boy intended to rescue his sister, but Ganondorf had just proved that the girl was not Zelda. So why in such a hurry to confront him? He couldn't remember ever hearing that the boy had dug up any of the fragments of the Triforce of Courage, either. If his adversary wanted to give the boy an advantage, it seemed that should be the first thing to acquire.

So perhaps the boy was not the next Hero? Then why go through the trouble of raising the Tower of the Gods?

Ganondorf watched the boy fight, a strange feeling of foreboding creeping over him. Some other force was at work, something other than Good and Evil…

* * *

Link leaned against the wall, panting, out of breath. Fear more than anything kept him moving. Fear that his sister would not be there when he finally arrived. Fear that she would be somewhere else, or worse, dead. He could not face his grandmother if he returned without her. He could not face any of his friends if he returned only with her body.

He took out his anger on the monsters that attempted to block him from his quest. The sword he now held bit into them much more easily, and it seemed strangely fitted to his hand, as if it were made for him. Yet he wondered what horror awaited him, which required a special sword hidden in the depths of a forgotten castle to defeat it.

Such a strange place, that castle. Stepping into it, he seemed to enter a parallel world of old legends and dreamlands. The same three-triangle seal that his people painted on their doors to ward off evil spirits. The giant statue of the mighty Hero, clad in the same garments he wore now. The intricate room where the sword stood alone, the magnificent stained-glass windows depicting weird and wonderful people he had never seen; but who beckoned to him, claiming he knew them, perhaps from another life. And yet the possibility…the possibility that he had somehow stepped into the forgotten kingdom of old…seemed just too fantastic to be believed…

Slowly, slowly, he made his way up the tower. He silently thanked his guide, the King of Red Lions, for helping him get this far. He wondered if the King's words were really true, that the shadowy man he had glimpsed before being flung into the water really was connected to the legendary evil menace. It didn't seem possible. And in any case, what did Ganon want with his sister?

He opened a door and stumbled into a huge room. Steadying himself after nearly falling on his face, his heart leaped as he heard a familiar squeal of joy.

"Link!" Aryll called from the far side of the room, locked in a wooden prison with two other girls. "Link, I knew you'd come!"

He ran to the door, and hugged his little sister as well as he could through the bars, then turned his attention to the lock. He had a feeling he didn't want to confront the keeper of the keys. Maybe he could hack at the wooden bars with his sword?

"Hey there!" another familiar voice made him spin around, to see Tetra and her pirates behind him.

"How did you get here?" Link demanded. "I just went through hell knocking down every monster in the place!"

She grinned. "Yeah, so we didn't have to. Thanks." Link fumed as she laughed at his face. "Hey, to pay you back, we'll help you bring your sister home at no charge."

Suddenly her eyes widened as she caught sight of the sword on Link's back. She recognized it immediately. _How could this boy…could it be…?_

"What?" Link demanded, countering her stare.

Just as she began to reply, they all heard a resounding shriek outside. The three girls cowered, and Tetra shook out of her trance. "Link, we can't get them out if that bird's attacking us. I know you've done a lot already…but can you take care of it, at least distract it until we get them safely aboard the ship?"

"Sure."

"Link, be careful!" Aryll shouted as one of the pirates picked her up.

"I will!" Link drew his sword and started up the stairway.

* * *

His face and back scored from the bird's claws, Link collapsed in exhaustion after finally defeating the mammoth creature. Strangely, the pathway to the cabin at the top of the fortress opened up, whereas the path back down to Tetra and the ship stayed blocked.

Losing patience, Link wiped blood and sweat out of his eyes and stood, then walked deliberately up the pathway. Evil menace or not, the owner of this crazy place would get a piece of his mind. The madman had thrown him into one mess after another, and the one thing Link wanted now in the world was to just get back home and sleep for a week.

He opened the door to the cabin and stepped inside, sword held at the ready. Someone stood at the opposite end, gazing out the window. The shadowy stranger turned around, revealing a pointed, sinister face…and a rather large gut. "I have been waiting for you, boy," said the stranger. "I am Ganondorf."

Link wondered briefly what this man had to do with Ganon, and why he had the same name with a silly bit at the end. But the tubby man didn't look like much of a threat, so he decided to charge first and ask questions later. He launched himself forward with a yell, and brought the sword down with all his might.

It didn't even scratch him.

As he stood gaping in shock, Ganondorf brought his fist around in an arc and caught Link on the side of the head. Link went sprawling several feet away. "Fool," Ganondorf chided him. "You cannot hurt me with that thing. Don't you see that sword is missing its power? What on earth brought you to face me without it?"

Pain lancing through his body, Link struggled to rise. He frowned at the sword, not understanding. _But the King told me this was what I needed…he didn't say anything about missing power…_

Ganondorf sighed. "I don't know how you managed to get this far, but it is clear you are not the True Hero." He started forward, reaching toward the fallen boy.

* * *

Just as he was about to pick up the child, a whirlwind struck him in the face. Startled, he turned to see a girl dressed in pirates' attire standing protectively in front of the boy. "Keep your dirty hands off him!" she snapped. Turning to the boy, she said, "Link, hurry, get up and run!"

"Stupid girl." Ganondorf snatched up the intruder, who struggled weakly as he held her around the neck. "Do you want to take his place?"

Abruptly he felt a familiar tingling sensation, something he had not felt in many years. He glanced down in consternation to see his Triforce mark glowing faintly. A rush of excitement shot through him as he switched her to the other hand; it burst into light. "At last, I've finally found you!" He shouted in triumph. "Princess Zelda!"

The girl dragged her nails over his wrists. "I…don't know any…Zelda…" she spluttered. "I'm not…any kind…of _Princess_…"

"No?" He pulled a gold necklace from under her blouse. A small A-shaped pendant hung there, and he could feel the power of the gods emanating from it. "Then why do you have this fragment of the Triforce of Wisdom?"

_And why only a fragment_? Ganondorf tried to keep the bewilderment out of his voice. _Who besides Zelda would have a piece of this relic?_

"Don't…know…any…Triforce…" Tetra's face began to turn blue.

"Liar." Ganondorf said smoothly. "Where is the rest of it?"

Before she could answer, a raucous commotion behind him made him whirl round. Two Ruto swept through the windows, picking up the boy and ripping the girl from his hands. Incensed, he turned to follow, but came face-to-face with a flying dragon, preparing to breathe fire.

Just before the flames burst into the cabin, he ripped open a trapdoor in the floor and jumped through. The roar of fire echoed throughout the small passageway as he stumbled down the narrow stairs in the dark.

Finally, once at the bottom of the stairs, he looked out at his smoldering cabin, a feeling of trepidation crawling over him. _Somewhere, someone or something is attempting to battle fate, to cheat the very gods. But who, and why…?_


	2. Hidden Secrets, Powerful Magic

"Where are we _going?_" Tetra demanded, as Link dragged her into the enormous white building. Once through the doorway, her mouth dropped open.

She stood in the entryway of an huge, richly decorated castle. The three-triangle seal was everywhere, and a large stone statue of a warrior stood in the middle of the room. Some of the columns had fallen, either in a battle or over time, but it did not take much away from the beauty of the statues, rich carpeting, and tapestries along the walls.

She turned behind her, and saw a large oil painting hanging above her, depicting what must be the Hylian Royal Family and their attendants. She caught her breath upon seeing the Princess. Except for the silly pink dress, it was like looking through a mirror.

Her vision jerked as Link pulled her away. She turned toward him in consternation. "Are we…in the Golden Kingdom? Like in the legend?"

He nodded, brimming with ecstasy. "Isn't it amazing?" He brought her around to the front of the statue and pointed. "Look, it's the Hero of Time!"

The Hero of Time looked frighteningly similar to the boy standing next to her, who grinned wide as if greeting an old friend. She glanced to her left and noticed a large fragment of armor. "Are there dark knights here?" she asked.

"There were. I got rid of 'em, don't worry. C'mon, I wanna show you something." He towed her down the stairs to the other side of the hall, as she watched more armor fragments go by, her head spinning at the easy way he spoke of dispatching such a threat.

If the castle had been beautiful, the land beyond it was stunning beyond words. Golden fields stretched out before them on one side of the walkway where they stood, colorful flowers scattered throughout. On the other side a large, impossibly blue lake spread out over acres. All around them they could see mountains, as if they were standing in the bottom of an enormous bowl. The air smelled of rich greenery, peppered with the spicy sweetness of blossoms.

But something seemed odd. "There's no wind," Tetra noted, looking up at the limp flags above her.

Link nodded. "This place is sealed off from the Great Sea by magic. Otherwise it would flood."

She pointed down the walkway. "What's that way?"

Link frowned. "Not sure. There's a force field or something…you can only go so far. But I'm forgetting why we're here! C'mon!" He grabbed her hand and dragged her back into the castle, up to the statue again.

It was then that she noticed a staircase coming up from a yawning cavern beneath the statue. Wordlessly she allowed Link to lead her into the depths, eager to see what new wonders would emerge.

"See, here's where I found the sword," Link told her, pointing to an empty plinth surrounded by motionless knight statues. But that was not what caught her attention. She pulled free and walked toward a set of stained-glass windows, colored rays flashing from an unknown light source. still water in front of them. Each one depicted a different scene or person, from the three-triangle seal itself to a small girl sitting meditatively in a patch of green leaves.

"They're the Sages," Tetra breathed, feeling indeed that the scattered bits of legend her mother had told her had suddenly sprung to life. "The Sages that assisted the Hero of Time, and sealed Ganon away in the Sacred Realm…"

Link nodded. "I don't know who is who, though."

Tetra pointed them out to him. "Saria, the Forest Sage…Impa, the Shadow Sage…Darunia, the Fire Sage…Ruto, the Water Sage…Nabooru, the Spirit Sage…and Rauru, the Sage of Light."

"My grandfather." The two children whirled round to see a white-haired, portly man in red beaming down at them.

Link started, recognizing the voice. "King of Red Lions?"

He nodded. "Yes, and King of Hyrule."

Tetra wavered slightly. "So we _are_ in Hyrule…it was here the whole time…"

The King nodded, and opened his hand, showing something to Tetra. A small golden triangle rested there. "I know your mother gave you a necklace just before she died, telling you to guard it with your life. Give it to me, and I will reveal to you your destiny."

Tetra handed it over somewhat reluctantly, not sure what he meant by "your destiny".

He brought the two halves together, and just as they combined, both disappeared. "Where did it go?" she demanded.

"They are within you, as the Triforce of Wisdom first was in Zelda from the Hero's time." He answered calmly.

Tetra noticed Link staring at her. "What?" she demanded, then looked down at herself. With a shock she realized she wore the same dress as the girl in the oil painting.

"You are the descendant of Princess Zelda, the final remnant of the royal bloodline, and the keeper of the Triforce of Wisdom," the King explained.

"…a descendant of…a Princess?" Tetra stared at the Triforce mark on her hand, unable to take in this information. Hearing a legend, and finding out one was a major player in it, were two different things.

"Unfortunately," the King continued, "Ganon and his servants will be searching for you tenfold now, for he seeks to gather all three pieces to him and take over Hyrule once again. Do you know why this kingdom is under water?"

The other two mutely shook their heads.

"When all seemed lost, I and the people of Hyrule made a final plea to the Goddesses to help us. They revealed themselves to me, stating that I should choose the worthy and bring them to higher ground. They would then flood the country and seal the great evil, until the Hero returned to restore the kingdom. I took all the good people of Hyrule I could find in a short period of time and led them to the mountains."

Something tugged at the back of Tetra's mind. She looked over her shoulder at the stained-glass windows. All of the Sages' peoples had survived in one way or another; the Zora had evolved, somehow, into the Rito…she had seen a handful of Goron merchants wandering the islands under wraps. But she had never seen anyone that looked like the Spirit Sage. "What about Nabooru's people?" she asked.

The King's benevolent expression darkened ever so slightly. "The Gerudo? You mean Ganon's people?"

"Well, they couldn't have been all bad, if one of them was a Sage…"

"Nabooru had died by the time Ganon returned, and he called the rest of them to him. They were unsalvageable…I'm sorry." The King nodded toward Tetra. "We can't let him gain power again, or the rest of the races of Hyrule…what's left of them…could be eliminated. You will need to stay here, where Ganon will not be able to detect the resonance of your Triforce piece."

"What?" Tetra demanded. "You want me to stay in this basement? Where are _you_ two going?"

"I am going to help Link restore power to the Master Sword, and find the Triforce of Courage so he can fulfill his duties as the new Hero."

Tetra frowned. "But if he has the Triforce of Courage, won't that attract Ganon to him?"

The King smiled slightly. "Once power has been restored to the Master Sword, it will make his quest that much easier."

Link clearly did not want to leave Tetra alone in this place. He shot the King a quizzical look, but his guide seemed completely unmovable. "I'll pick up some food and supplies on the merchant's island. See you in a few, okay?"

Tetra watched in disbelief as Link ran back up the stairs, finally asking the question she'd been afraid to utter, knowing it was probably true. "Does this mean I can't be a pirate anymore?"

* * *

Ganondorf hated the sea.

He could not swim; there had never been any need for him to learn back in Hyrule, when he lived in the desert. At some point or other he had attempted to learn in a small pool, but gave up after flailing in the water for several days in a row. He couldn't stand the idea of a water phobia restricting him, but apparently the Goddesses knew what best to use as a deterrent.

Seasickness didn't help.

He wondered if it was possible for him to turn any greener, as he leaned over the railing of his ship for the fifth time in an hour. But if he wanted to gather information and didn't want to attract attention to himself, this was the only way to do it.

All the same, he needed a break from the rolling waves. He eased his ship up next to one of the many tiny islands that dotted the Great Sea, and tumbled in a very undignified manner from the railing onto the grass. After sitting for a few minutes, waiting for his head to stop spinning and his stomach to stop churning, he got unsteadily to his feet. Wavering slightly, he decided to walk off his nausea.

Like most of the small islands, this one had many small palm-like trees all over, accompanied by bushes and clumps of tall grass. The flooding of Hyrule had given Ganondorf a profound appreciation for trees. They hailed travelers searching for shore with their waving branches, offered shelter from the sun, and provided wood for ships. What was more, after saplings appeared, more land would follow, as if they enjoyed sucking up the Sea through their roots in a slow but dedicated quest to set the country right again. He never thought he'd have such an affinity for plants.

However, near the corner of this island stood a wilted sapling, looking as if it had been drinking poison instead of water. Curious, he approached it, and found a funny leaf-like creature standing next to it.

The leaf creature made soft clicking sounds as it moved, like branches rubbing together. It looked up at him with some uncertainty, unsure what to make of the big, hulking man in dark robes. "Hello."

Ganondorf nodded in greeting. "What's wrong with the tree?"

The creature sighed. "It has been drinking bad water. The Great Deku Tree says that Ganon, the Evil One from days gone by, has emerged again and is fouling this land with his presence."

Ganondorf fought the urge to roll his eyes, wondering how the trembling little leaf would react if he revealed who he was. Doubtless this was one of the Kokiri, or whatever they had evolved into after the fracturing of Hyrule. He didn't much care for them – goody-goodies that at one point had sheltered the Hero of Time – but this one had given him an important clue.

Ganondorf wanted Hyrule dry again. So did his adversary, the Deku Tree, as the Kokiri-leaves must have been the ones planting the new trees. So…if both the forces of Good and Evil were in agreement on this, who was poisoning the trees? Who would want Hyrule to _stay_ as a watery wasteland?

"I'm sorry to hear that," he said. "Is there any antidote to this poison?"

"The water of the Forest Haven can cleanse the trees," the leaf-creature replied. "But don't worry, good sir. Our friend Link has promised to help us. He has already helped the Deku Tree twice."

"Link, huh? A young boy in green, by any chance?"

The creature jumped and fluttered like the leaf it was. "Yes, indeed! Do you know him?"

"I've met him a couple times," Ganondorf said dryly. "I'm sure he'll be a valuable asset to you." He bowed in good-bye and returned to his ship.

He spun the wheel away from the island, deep in thought. But he had not gone very far before he felt a strange prickling sensation on the back of his neck. Turning around, he could barely see a little red boat in the water and a boy in green on the island, speaking with the Kokiri-leaf. Frowning, Ganondorf took his spyglass from its cabinet beneath the wheel.

* * *

"Oh!" The Korok shivered and shook. "So that was Ganon! He must have come to see if his poison was working! Oh, and I told him about you, I'm so sorry!"

Unperturbed, Link pulled a bottle full of forest water from his pocket and sprinkled it over the wilted tree. "No harm done," he assured the Korok. "See, look!"

The sapling straightened immediately, and the Korok clicked in ecstasy. Link smiled, but frowned upon hearing the King call up to him. "Oy, Link! You're not just going to let him sail off, are you?"

Link turned to his little boat. "I don't think he saw us, and I can't fight him right now anyway."

The dragon-faced King frowned. "Still, any chance you get, you should try to weaken him, or it will come back to haunt you later. We can't have him sailing around after us. Why don't you use that Gale song you learned?"

Link fished out the Wind Waker. "You mean the one that calls down tornadoes? You want to send him back to the Forbidden Fortress?"

Making a face, the King replied, "You want to give him a free lift home? Goodness, you're naïve. Call down a waterspout! Destroy his ship! That might cripple him a little bit."

Link hesitated. His parents had been killed on a fishing expedition. Death by drowning in the rolling waves haunted the dreams of everyone on Outset Island at least once in their lives. Even pirates were known to fish out the shipwrecked; though of course they would demand payment, while Link and his kin were satisfied with the unwritten code of "save my life today and I'll save yours tomorrow".

He watched the ship sail away. "Are you sure? He doesn't look like he's a good swimmer."

The king scoffed. "He's the King of Evil! The Triforce of Power grants him immortality! How do you suppose he's survived all these years? You'll just wreck his means of transportation."

Hesitantly, Link lifted the Wind Waker and swept it through the air.

* * *

Ganondorf watched the boy through his spyglass. Link appeared to be speaking to his guide, the red ship. After a short exchange, the boy took out what looked like a long, white stick, and waved it around like a magic wand. Ganondorf hurriedly put down the spyglass and placed one hand on a cannon, expecting some kind of magical missile to come hurling toward him.

Nothing. Frowning, Ganondorf heard a strange whistling sound coming from just above him. Abruptly the whistle changed to a roar, and he jerked his head upward, his mouth dropping open in surprise.

A gray, writhing funnel cloud spun its way down toward him. Ganondorf grabbed the wheel and spun it hard to starboard. He gathered an immense amount of magic energy to him and unleashed a blast of hot air into the sails. The ship jumped forward, knocking him off his feet and against the railing. He jumped up and spun the wheel again, the natural wind filling the sails.

He smiled in triumph, thinking he had dodged the whirlwind, then paled as he saw it _following_ him. His face ashen, he realized that tornadoes were unpredictable, but not _that_ unpredictable. He snatched up the spyglass and focused his gaze on the little island. The boy in green still stood there, waving the stick like a conductor's baton. In horror, Ganondorf realized the boy _controlled _the whirlwind.

_But how is that possible? He has neither the full strength of the Master Sword, nor the Triforce of Courage. How can he be controlling the power of the gods?_

Ganondorf unleashed another blast of hot air into the sails, hoping that if he got out of sight, the boy could not pursue him with the magical twister. But compared to the snakelike, writhing whirlwind, his boat was like a bloated, dead cow floating in the ocean.

The tornado's roar, like a neverending crash of thunder, echoed painfully in his ears. As the screaming winds approached the side of his ship, he dove through the door and ran into the captain's quarters, hoping for a small chance to ride out the storm.

The tornado hit with such force that it threw him into a wall. Splayed out on the floor, he felt the ship rise and heave with the winds. Another jerk sent him flying into the opposite wall. He wrapped his arms around one of the ship's beams, holding on for dear life. The ship rattled and rolled, tossed around in the twister's eye like a child's toy. He heard the wooden planks straining and popping as the tornado tore the ship apart.

With a resounding crack, the pillar he clung to split apart, and he watched in disbelief as the captain's quarters disintegrated around him. Disoriented, he scrabbled to grab hold of anything, a splinter of wood, a brass doorknob floating just out of reach.

Then, as suddenly as it came, the twister snaked back up into the cloud. Ganondorf found himself falling surrounded by debris, the blue-black water of the ocean leaping up to meet him. He crashed into the water, sinking deeply, then bobbing like a cork to the surface. He took a shuddering gasp of air and floundered in the water, panic seizing him. _Not again. Not again!_

Strong waves knocked him around and pulled him under. He flailed uselessly, water rushing in through his mouth and nose, choking him. Desperately he floundered, trying to break the surface again, as the water filled and burned his lungs, suffocating him. He gasped for air but drew in only more water. A scream of terror came out only as bubbles. His eyes rolled back in his head as he blacked out.

* * *

"Almost there…we're almost there…"

He clung to the sharp rocks of the cliff, hands bleeding, streams of water from the inexhaustible, relentless downpour threatening to pry him off. Around his neck clung the last Gerudo woman, and in her arms a tiny child shivered. He had long expended any magical energy he had, and now it was a battle between him and the Goddesses.

"Almost there…we're almost there…" He recited the words like mantra, or a spell, hoping that they'd eventually come true. He dared not look up at the mountain to see how little he had climbed. The rising waves hissed and lashed at his feet, eagerly licking at his ankles and anticipating its meal. He felt the woman shiver against him in cold and fear, and the child fretted softly as water trickled down her already soaked face.

He hauled himself up onto the next foothold, and the next. Painfully aware of his excruciatingly slow progress, he made one final plea to the higher powers.

"Goddesses!" he bellowed in the rushing rain. "Punish me if you will, but leave my people out of it! I offer myself as a sacrifice, to pay for my transgressions against you! Let at least this woman and her child continue to live!"

Both woman and child choked back sobs. He attempted to move upward but his hand slipped, blood mingling with the rain. The storm continued to rage onward, completely ignoring their cries.

Suddenly he saw red. "Curse you, Goddesses! Your creations displease you, so you seek to drown them all? Whatever cruelties I inflicted on your world bear nothing to this! Had I known this was our fate, I would never have left my desert home!"

In defiance he grabbed a jutting rock just above him. It held for a moment, then broke in half. A flash of desperate horror struck him, and then all three tumbled backward, screaming, into the dark open maw of the ocean.

* * *

In the scattered debris of the waterspout floated a limp body. Its faint heartbeat, echoing faintly in the water, slowed and finally stopped.

Suddenly the three-triangle seal flashed to life on the back of one hand, and a current of light swept through the body. Ganondorf's eyes flew open and he surfaced, coughing and sputtering, clinging to a floating plank.

"Ahoy there!" a voice called out, and someone thrust a hooked staff around the collar of his robe. He felt himself being yanked onto a small raft, and grabbed the hand offered to him.

"You all right?" A man maybe in his thirties crouched down, concerned, as Ganondorf leaned over the side of the raft to put back half the Great Sea where it belonged. The man wore little more than a pair of shorts, and Ganondorf recognized him as one of the traveling merchants. "I thought you were a goner for sure!"

Standing, Ganondorf tried to bow without falling over. "Thank you for your assistance. Allow me to repay you for your kindness…"

The merchant waved his hand. "No, no, I can't take anything. I couldn't let you just float out there!"

"Then, I will pay you for your trouble if you take me to a nearby island. I've lost my ship, as you can plainly see." Ganondorf gestured toward the splintered flotsam and jetsam, all that was left of his handsome vessel.

The merchant grinned. "Sure, why not? Pickings have been slim in this part of the Sea anyway."

As the covered raft slowly floated away, Ganondorf sat on the bow and considered what he had just seen. Something very powerful was working against him, and strangely, it did not seem to work in the best interests of his enemies as well.

He steeled himself for the next part of his investigation. He would have to find out what that magic wand was, and what the boy knew about its power…


	3. The Blood of the Hero

_Curiouser and curiouser._

With a mighty heave, Link lifted up the hunk of stone that had been a blackish-purple ChuChu before he'd reflected the sunlight upon it with his new shield. He dropped it onto a switch, finally holding down the stairwell to the next room.

"Link, that was brilliant!" Medli exclaimed, fluttering down next to him. Her flying had improved, to the point where he no longer had to throw her around, but her presence still made him nervous. Instead of just protecting himself, he had Medli to worry about as well. And the monsters in this dungeon were the stuff of nightmares.

Flying skulls that emitted poisonous gas, ghosts that sought to possess the unlucky adventurer and send him into pits or the swords of other enemies, flaky bones that rose from the ground and challenged him with spears, phantom hands that grabbed him and tossed him back to the beginning of the labyrinth, not to mention the ChuChus that he'd thought were invincible until he'd frozen one quite by accident. But the worst were the screaming zombies. He'd been grabbed by one once and that was enough.

He and Medli ran up the stairs, into the next room. Greeted by more zombies and a series of mirrors, they looked at each other and nodded. Dodging the clawlike hands of the ReDead, they took up position on either side of the mirrors and raised their own – Link's shield and Medli's lute – reflecting the daylight on the undead creatures. The zombies yelped and writhed in pain, and Link jumped forward to finish them off. Two doors opened, on either side of them.

"Which way next?" Medli asked. Wiping sweat off his forehead, Link wished she would stop asking this. He didn't know any better than she did, but for some reason people seemed to need to take their problems and questions to the guy with the sword.

"I don't know…pick one," he gasped. Medli pointed to the right. "Okay…hold on, though. I gotta rest." He sat down on a crumbling platform and placed his shield on the floor next to him, taking a good look round at the surreal environment around him. He wondered if others besides him had attempted to explore these places, in the hundreds of years Hyrule had been underwater. He'd found plenty of treasure, the only thing worth looking for in the Great Sea. Absently he wondered how Tetra's pirate friends were doing, as well as Tetra herself.

For her part, Medli plucked at her feathers and glanced furtively around, very ill at ease. Link couldn't blame her. She wasn't a fighter, and it must have taken a great deal of courage and determination for her to follow him in here at all. She obviously wanted to finish their task and get out of there as soon as possible. Link felt the same way.

He stood. "All right, I'm ready." Picking up his shield, he and Medli ran through the doorway on the right-hand side.

It was easy to lose track of time in these places, and when he finally reached the locked chamber of the labyrinth's evil guardian, he wondered if they had been there for days or merely hours. Key in hand, he turned to Medli. "I think you'd better let me go in alone. I don't want you to wind up like the last Sage."

Medli hesitated, but stepped back and nodded. "Be careful, Link! I'll be just outside if you need anything."

"Thanks," he replied, even though he knew these doors always locked behind him when he entered.

He stepped inside, and sure enough, the stone door slammed shut behind him, a fence of iron bars rising up within the frame. It looked deserted, but he knew that _something_ waited for him there, maybe a great dragon made of bones and rotting flesh, or an entire army of screaming zombies. He cringed at the thought. Noting the pillars of spikes along the walls, he walked up to the Triforce seal in the middle of the room.

A strange sound like a laughing cough echoed throughout the room, just above him. He drew his sword and stood gaping at not a dragon or a horde of zombies, but a plump pink ghost with a piglike mask. He smirked slightly, expecting a truly evil-looking monster; not this comical, rotund thing.

Suddenly the pig-ghost summoned a blast of wind, and Link had to throw himself down on the floor to keep from hurtling into the rows of spikes behind him. Just as he rose to his feet, the ghost shot a great burning fireball at his face, and with a yelp he stumbled out of the way. Gingerly touching his singed eyebrows, he resolved never to underestimate a silly-looking dungeon boss again.

Retreating to the sidelines, he realized the futility of trying to hit a ghost with his sword. Catching sight of the streams of light hitting the floor, he walked into one and held up his shield just as the ghost prepared another blast of wind. It didn't turn to stone, but it did cry out in pain, solidify, and curl into a little ball. Link slashed it with his sword, hit it with arrows and his hammer, and kicked it with his foot with good measure, but to no effect. Frustrated, he backed up and slammed into the thing, sending it rolling into the wall of spikes. With a yelp, it split apart into fifteen smaller ghosts, running around in all directions. Link shook the look of bemusement off his face and set upon them with his sword. Before he'd managed to kill more than five, they combined together again, though smaller this time. Finally confident he'd figured out the creature's weak points, he used his shield to reflect light upon it again.

After several rounds of this, the remains of the ghost finally disintegrated. Panting, hands on knees, Link watched as the door opened and Medli ran in. "Oh, thank goodness you're all right!" she exclaimed.

He nodded, too out of breath to say more, and waved off her hug until he'd recovered it. Her embrace nearly knocked the air out of him again.

Walking to the Triforce seal, Link stuck the Master Sword into the plinth in the middle. The seal glowed golden, and he looked to Medli for the next step.

She took out her lute. "Can you conduct for me?"

"Oh, right." He pulled the Wind Waker from his pocket. As he waved it the air and Medli played, the ghost of the Zora sage appeared, playing in harmony with Medli. Medli stared openly at the Sage, leading Link to wonder why she looked so shocked. Hadn't Tetra said that the Rito evolved from the Zora?

As the music reached its crescendo, the sword lit up as if set aflame, the white light nearly blinding him. Finally, the crosspiece of the sword changed to the same one on the Hero of Time's statue, and both the light and the Zora sage faded.

Link retrieved his sword, examining it briefly before sheathing it. He turned to Medli. "Well, that's it, I guess. Ready to go?"

Troubled, Medli said, "This is hard to explain, but…the other sage asked me to stay here…stay and pray to the Goddesses for your well-being."

Frowning, Link wondered if all his friends would wind up in basements by the time his quest was done. "Are you sure? Will you be all right here?"

She nodded. "Hurry, Link! I don't know what Ganon is planning…but if he could injure Valoo…" she left her sentence hanging.

Reluctantly, Link nodded back. "Okay…take care!"

* * *

Ten-year-old Prince Daphnes laughed as his puppy nearly wagged its tail off, trying to retrieve the ball he'd thrown into the courtyard garden. The ball was nearly as large as the puppy's head, yet the little dog saw no reason why it could not grasp its tiny jaws around it and carry it back to his master. Upon achieving its goal, it dropped the ball in front of Daphnes and waited eagerly for him to continue the game.

"Daphnes?" He turned around to see the Princess Zelda walking toward him, and waved happily until he saw the troubled look on her face.

"What's the matter?" he asked. As the grandson of the Light Sage, he had been betrothed to Zelda since birth, and the two had grown up as the best of friends.

The puppy whined and licked at her hand; she petted it briefly before turning to Daphnes. "I had that same nightmare last night…I told Father about it, but he won't listen to me."

Frowning, he glanced around, looking for the Princess' bodyguard. "What about Impa? Maybe she can convince the King to listen to you."

Zelda shook her head. "Impa already tried. Daphnes, will you talk to your grandfather about it? Maybe Father will think about it more carefully if he hears it from the Sage of Light, too."

He grinned. "Sure I will. Don't worry, Grandfather will set everything right. He always does."

She smiled and hugged him. "Thank you, Daphnes. I don't know why Father continues to trust Ganondorf. Everything about him frightens me."

Nodding, Daphnes asked, "Have you figured out what the other part of your dream yet? The one about a light from the forest?"

She shook her head.

He patted her shoulder. "Well, I'm sure you'll figure it out."

* * *

The King of Red Lions sighed, snapping back to the present. Bringing Tetra to Hyrule and revealing her ancestry had brought back far too many memories.

He heard a shout in front of him, and looked up to see Link running toward him, holding the Master Sword in triumph over his head.

"Good work!" he exclaimed as Link tumbled into the little boat. "But you're only half done. Let's move on to the next temple."

Link frowned at him, wondering why he didn't comment on why he was alone. "Medli wouldn't come. She insisted on staying at the bottom of the temple, where the Sage was."

"Medli has her own role to play as a Sage, Link. If we do everything correctly and defeat Ganon, she'll be perfectly fine. All the more reason for us to hurry."

Link fumbled with his travel bag. "I need to pick up supplies first. Let's stop at Dragon Roost Island."

"You'd have better luck at Windfall."

Link didn't meet the King's eyes. "I want something only the traveling merchant near Dragon Roost sells." He hoisted the sail and straightened the rudder.

"All right…just hurry up."

* * *

Link wasn't sure why he had lied to his guide, but it had something to do with the King's lack of concern for Medli. Upon reaching Dragon Roost, Link jumped out of the boat and sprinted off toward the Rito homes.

He nearly crashed into Prince Komali. "Oh, Link!" the Prince exclaimed in surprise. "Have you seen Medli? I was going to give her this flower, but…it wilted…"

He looked so sad, Link decided against the King's instructions that they keep their quest secret. _That does it._ "Prince Komali, Medli is safe for now, but she can't come back for a while. She's a Sage…a servant of the Goddesses." Komali's eyes went wide. "She's praying in a temple…trying to help me with my own quest. She'll be back soon, I promise."

Komali fingered the wilted flower, trying to hide his disappointment and worry. "Well…it seems pretty important…"

Link realized the Prince might be able to help him with a burning question. "Prince Komali, you know the Rito evolved from the Zora, right?"

He looked up and frowned at Link. "What's a Zora?"

Link nearly fell over. "You don't _know?_ They're fish-people, sorta."

Scratching his head, Komali said, "You'd think you'd see them everywhere, wouldn't you?"

_He's right. What better place for fish-people than a huge ocean? Why on earth did the Zora evolve?_ "Prince Komali, do you have a history of your people anywhere?"

"Sure. What do you want to know?"

"Well, for starters…how far back it goes."

Prince Komali led Link to a grand room full of books and dusty scrolls. Its caretaker, an elderly Rito, smiled greatly upon seeing the Prince. "Ah, your Highness…finally taking interest in history, are you?"

For an answer, Komali looked at Link, who replied, "Can I take a look at your oldest history, please?"

The elderly Rito scratched his head. "I've never heard of an outsider so curious about Rito history, but I don't see why not." He rummaged around for a bit, finally digging up a large tome with intricate embroidery on the cover. "This is the oldest book we have."

Link glanced at the title, _A Grande Historie of the Rito Civilization_, then frowned. "This says 'Volume Two'."

Nodding, the caretaker said, "I'm sorry, but the first volume has been lost to the ravages of time."

Link opened the book, read a few lines, then shut it. "This doesn't help me. It starts after the Rito have already begun to evolve wings." He looked up at the caretaker. "Do you know what the Rito looked like before they had wings."

He shook his head. "Our earliest legends simply say that our ancestors asked the great Valoo for wings, since we lived on an island with so many cliffs."

Link sighed and handed back the book. "Thanks anyway."

Komali followed Link outside. "What's the matter? Why is it so important that you know what we originated from?"

"I'm not sure." Link had never cared much about his own peoples' legends until they had quite literally come to life in front of him. But now he felt the need to know the details of what had happened so many centuries ago, a strange sense of urgency enveloping him. _Why do none of us know our own history?_

* * *

The savage demon lifted its head to the sky, sniffing with the nose of an enormous wild boar. It bared its teeth and licked its lips as it picked up the trace of a familiar scent.

_The blood of the Hero!_

It lowered its head to the ground, snorting in the tall grass of the Lost Woods. Ganon had felt the death of the Hero even in the dark confines of the Sacred Realm, shortly followed by a crack in the seal as a Sage left this world for another. One more Sage died some time later, and Ganon could finally shatter the seal that had held him captive for so long.

He snuffled eagerly through the grass, like a pig looking for truffles. Finally his nose nudged a blood-streaked pebble, and he gingerly parted the grass with his claws for closer examination. He recognized the object not as a pebble but the Ocarina of Time. He could smell not only the scent of the Hero, but also one of the Sages, a mossy-sweet smell that matched his surroundings. The blood of both marred the sacred object, which had been lying here for some time. Ganon carefully lifted the Ocarina to his eyes, wondering what had happened here. He doubted the Hero and the Sage had fought. Most likely one had defended the other from…something. But what?

* * *

Ganondorf pointed to the Forest Haven. "You can let me off here."

The traveling merchant frowned at him. "Are you sure? Nobody lives there…except a rather strange artist, and I have no idea where he is."

"That's who I want to see." It was a lie of course, but the merchant and his thoughts mattered little to Ganondorf. As long as he got what he needed, he could care less what the merchant said or did.

"Good luck!" the merchant called after him, and after waving, Ganondorf dropped his smile with relief. He could easily put on a friendly air for the sake of manipulating people, but he found it hard to keep up for very long.

He hiked up alongside the bubbling creek, wincing as he entered the water in order to pass through the stone entrance to the Haven. The sacred liquid burned like ice against his skin, and he clambered out of the creek as soon as he could.

"And what, may I ask, are _you_ doing here?" a booming voice echoed throughout the little caldera.

Ganondorf said nothing until he reached the Great Deku Tree, little leaf-children scattering in front of him. He climbed up onto a little knoll and folded his arms, facing the Tree. "I've come to tell you to stop spreading silly rumors. _I'm_ not the one poisoning your childrens' saplings."

Clearly skeptical, the Deku Tree gave him a mocking look. "What on earth makes you think I'd believe _that?_"

Ganondorf snorted. "You're not nearly as smart as your predecessor, are you? The Goddesses flooded this place to get rid of me. Why would I object to your trees drinking up all this blasted water?"

"Then who else would it be?" Still suspicious but interested, the Tree regarded Ganondorf calmly but carefully.

Shrugging, Ganondorf replied. "No idea. But I have a feeling that it's the same person – or thing – who did _this_." He held up a round, blue object, still streaked with blood after all this time.

Blinking, the Tree asked, "Isn't that the Ocarina of Time? The sacred instrument used by the Hero?"

"There are two different bloodstains on this," Ganondorf replied, treating it as a rhetorical question. "One is the Hero's. His death awakened me in the Sacred Realm."

A profound sadness swept across the Tree's face. "So he did die, instead of just disappearing. I feared it was so. Saria came to me, gravely wounded, and tried to tell me…but by that time she was only barely alive…"

"Saria must be the Forest Sage, then," Ganondorf said more to himself than the Tree, the ancient creature's show of pathos not affecting him at all. "It's her blood on here, along with the Hero's." He looked up. "I'm assuming she wasn't the fighting type."

The Deku Tree shook his head vigorously, causing leaves to rain down on both of them. "She could not fight. She would not have tried to steal the Ocarina from the Hero. They grew up together, they were close friends…" Ganondorf sat down and waited as the Tree choked up, tears in its eyes. "Someone or something must have attacked them. If the Hero fell in battle, he may have entrusted Saria with the Ocarina, and then the enemy came after her."

"I'm not sure why anybody would want it," Ganondorf muttered. "I've had it for years and I can't make it do a thing. You would have to know the magic songs that went with it…the Hero's attacker would have kidnapped Saria, not killed her. She knew one of them, if I remember correctly. No, I think her killer was after the Hero."

The Tree scowled at him. "Some associate of _yours_, perhaps, who sought to break you out of the Sacred Realm and restore you to power?"

Ganondorf grinned. "That's what I thought, at first. But no such person ever showed up, after I emerged from my prison. You'd think they'd want to ask me for something, after going through all that trouble, not just let me go as a favor." He scratched his head. "Plus, I can't think of anybody I knew _strong_ enough to kill off the Hero of Time…unless he caught him with his pants down…with your friend Saria." He laughed at the thought.

Frowning like a thundercloud, the Tree growled, "If you have nothing more of use to tell me, I think you'd better leave."

"Just one more thing." Ganondorf stood and brushed dirt from his robe. "The boy dressed like the Hero, who retrieved Farore's Pearl. Yes, I know about him. Did you know he has a magic wand that controls the wind?"

The Tree's puzzlement spoke volumes. "No," he said finally. "I've never heard of such a thing."

Ganondorf stood for several minutes, stroking his beard, deeply immersed in thought. "One final question, and then I'll leave. After Saria died…did the King ask you to send another Forest Sage to his castle?"

His eyes lighting up, the Tree replied, "Funny you should mention that. I sent a replacement right after Saria's death, but didn't receive a summons until long after he left. I figured the Sage's Seal would be at the foremost of his mind…"

Nodding meditatively, Ganondorf stepped reluctantly back into the water. "I'll be going then. Just remember…there's someone out there that's not on my side, and not on yours. Whoever it is, they're as old and as powerful as we are. Keep an eye out for anything unusual…unless you want to attempt a new career as seaweed."

* * *

Ganondorf stepped back into the sunlight to see a ship docked near the island. He recognized the pirate flag as belonging to Tetra's group. Walking down the hill, he shouted down to the little knot of pirates at the shore, "Ahoy there! Are you willing to take on an extra passenger?"

The biggest one of them yelled in reply, "What'll you give us in return?"

"How about the whereabouts of your leader?"

Shocked, they shouted as a group, "How do you know where Tetra is?"

"None of your business. Do you want to find her or not?"

After a fevered and lengthy discussion amongst themselves, the big man yelled back, "All right, but you'll walk the plank if you try to double-cross us!"

Ganondorf tried very hard not to laugh as he boarded the ship. Keeping one's identity secret certainly had its advantages.


	4. Requiem of History

"I don't think so."

The tall pirate frowned at Ganondorf, who couldn't remember his name. He didn't feel the need to learn their names. "If you want to sail with us, you'll have to do some work," the pirate insisted.

"And I said _no_." Quick as a flash Ganondorf swept his double swords from their hidden places in his sleeves and shoved the tall pirate up against the mast, pinning him there with the blades at his throat. He took a quick glance around at the rest of the crew. "Any more objections?"

They all shook their heads at once. Ganondorf replaced his swords, then stepped below deck, shaking his head.

Tired of seeing ocean and desperately needing a place to sit down, he made for the first room he could find. Another pirate nearly as tall blocked the door. "That's Miss Tetra's chambers," he said sternly. "Nobody's allowed in there."

"Miss Tetra isn't here." He grabbed the man by the shirt and shoved him aside, hearing startled gasps from the others hiding in the doorway above. Taking a brief look round, his eye fell upon a portrait of the Hero of Time. Ganondorf sneered at it and turned to a framed square of parchment on another wall, a map depicting the Triforce seal over the sea, its heart showing the location of the Tower of the Gods. Hearing nervous titters behind him, he turned round, pointing to the parchment. "Have any of you ever been to the Tower?" he asked.

Huddled in the doorway, they all looked at each other. "Tower? You mean that thing that rose up out of the ocean?"

"I'll take that as a 'no'." Scowling, Ganondorf demanded, "What's wrong with you? Zelda…I mean, Tetra has a big Triforce symbol in her room and you don't know what it's for?"

"Triumph Forks?" A grubby-looking short pirate piped up. "Is that the treasure located there?"

Ganondorf resisted the urge to slap his forehead. "What are you talking about? You think there are golden forks lying around at the bottom of the ocean? Is that your idea of treasure?"

Long pause. "Well…not _really_," one of the pirates volunteered. "The Triumph Forks are just a legend. But Miss Tetra said that there's a real treasure, one connected to that map somehow, that once belonged to her ancestors. We've been looking all over for her, that's why we stopped by that deserted island…one of the few places we hadn't looked yet…"

"Well, you've got that right, at least." Ganondorf chuckled softly. "There's a treasure down there, all right. And I'm quite sure that's where we'll find Tetra. It's a treasure unlike any you've ever seen…and certainly has nothing to do with forks."

The pirates exchanged eager glances, but their faces quickly darkened. "Why would Miss Tetra go there without us?" The grubby one demanded.

Ganondorf shook his head. "She didn't have a choice. Tetra has a destiny to fulfill." He looked at them all with a critical eye. "It is _extremely disturbing_ that you have no idea of your own history. I have to wonder why…"

Some hours later, they arrived at the Tower of the Gods, and lowered a rowboat into the water. "You won't be seeing Tetra for a while after this," Ganondorf shouted up at them, "so all of you might want to come."

"Why not?" the tall one demanded. "You gonna try something?"

"I told you, she has a destiny to fulfill. She'll likely tell you herself, once you see her. Besides…don't you want to see the treasure?"

With many an eager reply, they tumbled into the remaining rowboats. Their eyes lit up with fascination and alarm when the small boats sank slowly into the water, without getting wet, and got bigger and bigger as they caught sight of the grand castle and landscape stretched out before them.

"Blimey," said the tall one, staring around the little courtyard where they landed. "I've never seen anything like it!"

"It's an underwater kingdom!" the grubby one exclaimed. "D'you think mermaids live here?"

"Idiot, it's dry in this part," another shouted, thumping the grubby one on the head. "There's no mermaids here."

Ganondorf paid no attention to them, but walked into the castle. The others followed, gawking at everything. Leaning over the railing at the foot of the huge statue, Ganondorf nodded once upon seeing that the stones in front of it had shifted. "So he was here…and likely Zelda is here now. I can feel it…" He frowned. _What kind of an idiot does Daphnes take me for?_

It _had_ to be Daphnes' ghost inside that boat. Nobody else knew about this place, nobody knew the first thing about getting there. Surely Daphnes must know that Ganondorf had been in the castle many times before. The boy must have defeated all the monsters he sent here…indeed, Ganondorf could see bits of armor, all that remained of his dark knights. He knew about the underground chamber, but never went there…the only thing down there was the Master Sword, and Ganondorf had no use for it. _She would be safer traveling with the other two…why stick her right under my nose?_

"Wow." Ganondorf looked up to see the tall pirate staring open-mouthed at the statue. "Is that the Ancient Hero? Like in the stories?"

"Uh huh." Ganondorf concentrated on opening the entrance. _There's just a simple spell holding this shut…did Daphnes really think that was enough?_

After releasing the spell, Ganondorf pushed against the stone pedestal. It didn't budge. "Too much weight," he grunted, and took out his swords.

"What are you…" the tall pirate began, then yelped in shock as the Hero's head landed just inches from his feet. The entire crew gaped in shock, at both the desecration and the sheer power that had cleaved the solid stone statue into several pieces. Ganondorf pushed the pedestal again, and it moved slowly, inch by inch.

Finally, with enough room to squeeze through, Ganondorf descended the stairs, the little troop of pirates tagging behind.

"Who's there?" a sharp female voice called out as they reached the bottom.

"It's Miss Tetra!" the tall pirate exclaimed joyfully, and immediately the pirates stumbled over themselves and Ganondorf to get to her. They flocked around their diminutive leader, yelling and laughing in delight.

"Hey, Miss Tetra, we were starting to wonder if we'd ever see you again!"

"What's with the pretty dress? You going all posh on us?"

"How did you find this place? Didja see the statue of the Ancient Hero?"

"Are we in the Golden Land, Miss Tetra? Like in the stories?"

"You are." They all whirled round to see Ganondorf walking calmly toward them.

Tetra blanched. "Ganon!" she exclaimed, then sprinted in a wide arc around him, headed for the stairs. Ganondorf calmly extended his hand toward the stairway and a magic field appeared at the entrance, blocking her. The little knot of pirates ran to her side, surrounding her and drawing their weapons.

"If you want Miss Tetra, you'll have to go through us!" the tall pirate exclaimed, unable to hide the tremble in his voice.

"Is it really the ancient evil from the legend, Miss Tetra?" the grubby pirate asked.

"What are you gonna do?" another demanded of Ganondorf.

"Nothing." To their consternation, Ganondorf turned away from them and walked toward the stained-glass windows. He gazed upon them a long time, wordlessly, as the pirates exchanged puzzled glances. Finally, he said, "Do you understand where you are, and who 'Miss Tetra' is?"

Nobody spoke. Finally the grubby pirate raised his hand, as if he were a child in school. "We're in the Golden Land, like in the legend?"

Ganondorf nodded. "Do you know why it's under water?"

Recovering from her fear, Tetra placed her hands on hips and said aggressively, "The Goddesses flooded it because you tried to take it over!"

The pirates stared, shocked, first at her and then at him. Ganondorf's expression changed not at all. "Yes, they did so because the Hero of Time did not reappear. Nobody knows exactly what happened to him, but I did pick up a clue." He turned and walked back to the group, a round blue object in his hand, cleaned of the blood for a very specific purpose.

Ganondorf spoke directly to Tetra. "Do you know what this is?"

She gingerly took the proffered object from his hand, turning it over in her own. "It's a musical instrument…an ocarina."

The slightest hint of frustration showed on Ganondorf's face. "You are the last descendant of the Hylian Royal Family. Does this thing mean nothing to you?"

Tetra stared at it, completely blank. Suddenly the mark on the back of her hand glowed, and a series of unbidden images flooded her mind. _The boy from the forest…a temple of white marble…an enemy from the desert…the three-triangle seal…_

"This is the Ocarina of Time, used by the Hero to enter the Sacred Realm," Tetra said, though her voice sounded strange, as if someone else spoke through her.

Ganondorf took it back. "Your ancestor, the Princess Zelda, entrusted this to the Hero. But this was left behind when he was killed, along with two others, which cracked the seal placed upon me."

Every one of the pirates gaped at him. "The Hero was _killed?_ Not by you?" Tetra asked skeptically.

"I told you, I was still sealed away when he died, and released when someone killed him as well as two of the Sages." He gestured toward the stained-glass windows. "Do you know them?"

Tetra nodded. "Of course I do."

Ganondorf pointed to the girl sitting in the leaves, and a strange woman who appeared to be half fish. "The Forest Sage died in roughly the same place as the Hero…I believe they were together when he was attacked. I'm not sure if the Water Sage's death is connected yet, but it is likely. She and the Forest Sage were the only ones in the group who were not skilled fighters or spellcasters."

Tetra stared at him. "But if you didn't kill them, who did? And why?"

He regarded her gravely. "That is the mystery I am trying to solve…who accomplished what I could not, and what their purpose is."

* * *

Puffing, Link hauled himself up to the Forest Haven entrance with his grappling hook. Splashing through the stream after a brief drink of the cool spring water, he ran up to the Great Deku Tree. "Have you seen Makar anywhere?" he gasped.

The Tree's eyes lit up. "Link! You won't believe this, but Ganon was just here a few hours ago…"

Link's eyes crinkled up in disbelief. "Ganon? _Here?_"

"Yes, and he acted incredibly strange…kept asking me questions about you, and the Hero of Time. Yet he didn't try anything…no spells, no threats, just a lot of questions."

Link's mind could only handle so many mysteries at once, so he shelved that information well in the back for later reference. "Do you know where Makar is? I need him to help me with something."

"Makar? Oh…I think he's practicing his cello outside."

"Thanks!" Link dashed off.

"Be careful!" The Deku Tree called after him. "Ganon's likely looking for you…you'll need to be prepared if he shows up!"

_That's what I'm doing_, Link thought irritably as he stumbled through the rocky creek, slowly making his way toward the sound of a low-pitched string instrument. After a long, convoluted effort to pass through a waterfall that left him soaking wet, he managed to swing into a hidden cavern behind it, where Makar stood.

Dripping, Link said, "Makar, I need your help. I have to restore power to this thing…" here he tapped the Master Sword, "and I need you and your cello to get into the Wind Temple, in order to do so."

"Of course!" Makar exclaimed. "You helped me out of the Forbidden Forest…it's the least I can do."

"It'll be at least as dangerous as the Forbidden Forest…are you up to it?"

Makar trembled slightly, but said, "I'll do whatever I can to help!"

* * *

"I see." Tetra's eyes lingered on the stained-glass portrait of Nabooru. "So none of them could swim, and none of them heard the message from the Goddesses to seek higher ground."

_That was cruel_, she thought to herself. The Gerudo seemed almost like pirates in a way; raiders who made their living stealing from others. It wasn't their fault they had a bad leader. Why would the Goddesses do such a thing?

She turned to Ganondorf. "I still don't understand your role in all of this. What exactly are you trying to do? Raise Hyrule from the ocean and take it over again?"

The troop of pirates, sitting yawning on the floor, snapped to alertness. Ganondorf smiled slightly. "You could say that's my eventual goal, yes. But whereas there were only two sides in the original battle – mine and your ancestor's – now there are three. And it's to the both of our advantages if we learn as much about that third as possible, as it seeks to counter both of us."

"You think this third person – the one who killed the Hero of Time – wants Hyrule for himself?"

"I'm not sure. That is one possibility." He turned to her. "Do you know anything about the Water Sage that would make her a target for someone who wanted to hurt the Hero?"

Tetra thought. "It's said that when she gave the Hero one of the jewels that allowed him to open the door to the Sacred Realm, she stated that he could only have it if he agreed to marry her. I understand she was serious about this…she brought it up seven years later, when he reappeared."

Ganondorf nodded, as if confirming something to himself. "The Forest Sage also had a close personal connection to him. None of the others did…except maybe Darunia, but he was more than able to defend himself." He thought deeply, muttering to himself, "Forest and water…forest and water…I wonder…"

Suddenly he broke off and brought out the Ocarina of Time. "Tetra, do you know of any melodies that have been passed down through your family?"

She looked at it, then at him. "You think I'm stupid enough to give you any information that would grant you more power?"

"There's nothing this Ocarina can do that is useful to me at this point in time…except one thing," he stated. "I am looking specifically for the Requiem of History. Our adversary seems to be using ignorance of the past as a weapon against us. Link was ill-prepared when he first faced me, I can't find any reference to many of the old holy places that existed in Hyrule, and until recently you didn't know who you really are." He shoved the Ocarina at her. "If you can play, you try it, since you don't trust me."

Tetra frowned at it, but brought it up to her lips anyway. Strangely, as if guided by some invisible hand, she moved her fingers over the holes and a simple but beautiful tune floated through the air, a soft slow melody that suggested peace and comfort.

Ganondorf closed his eyes, momentarily brought back in time. "Zelda's Lullaby," he said softly. "The secret song that opened the doors to the Sacred Realm. Yes, I remember it now."

Tetra looked at the ocarina in her hands, then at him. "But nothing happened."

Ganondorf nodded. "Nothing can happen…the magic connected to that tune is long gone. Keep trying. You will know the Requiem of History when you find it…you will see the past as clearly as if you were there, instead of just flashes and hints granted to you by the Triforce of Wisdom."

Tetra frowned. "This may take a while," she muttered. "I know a lot of songs…some might be ancient tunes, but others are probably just old sea shanties…"

"I have other business to attend to as well." Ganondorf faced the pirates and announced, "The time has come for your Miss Tetra to fulfill her destiny as the descendant and heir of Princess Zelda. Say your good-byes, as I will be taking her to my tower."

"Whoa, old man!" Tetra snapped. "I'm not leaving my crew, and I'm certainly not going anywhere with _you_."

The pirates shouted their agreement, but Ganondorf's face remained impassive. "I will not harm you," he said to Tetra, placing his marked hand gently onto hers. "We are bound together by a force even more ancient than that of the oldest legends. And if your friend Link is the reincarnation of the Hero of Time – which I believe he very well may be – he will find the remains of the piece his predecessor left behind, and come after you."

Tetra stepped away from him. "Then Link can come here."

"There is a malevolent force which moves against both of us," Ganondorf told her, urgency rising in his voice. "I am willing to grant you the wisdom and knowledge of your ancestors, whereas the other wishes to make you forever ignorant. If I must fall by the Hero's blade once again, so be it…but the both of you must know who you are to fight either of us!"

"What if I don't _want_ to be Princess Zelda?" Tetra snapped, folding her arms. "What if I'd rather die than stay cooped up in a stuffy old castle, wearing stupid pink dresses and following some posh royal code?"

They all backed away as they sensed Ganondorf's ire rising, hot and fierce just beneath the surface. "This is the fate you'd rather choose?" he barked. "The leader of a motley group of wandering treasure-hunters, collecting rupees with nothing worth buying in a vast ocean bereft of fish?" He snarled in disgust and contempt. "Have you not seen the beauty of the land of your ancestors? And why do you need to follow their rules anyway? It's your kingdom! You set the rules! Who cares what you wear?"

They all stared, open-mouthed. Ganondorf scowled for a moment, then let out a melancholy sigh. "I suppose you've never known anything else. Never really known the beauty of your homeland, or the harsh desert land I lived in when I wanted to take Hyrule for my own. But the lack of curiosity…is the most depressing…"

After a long silence, the tall pirate spoke up. "Do you really think this is the legendary treasure of the Golden Land, Miss Tetra?"

Slowly, Tetra turned the Ocarina over in her hands, thinking. _I don't want to be a Princess…but…wasn't that the whole purpose of becoming a pirate in the first place? It was…so important to Mother…_

Tetra's eyes filled with tears at the memory of her mother on her deathbed, giving Tetra the fragment of the Triforce of Wisdom and begging her to guard it with her life. "Our ancestors left behind a great treasure," she had said, her yellowed eyes shining in her jaundiced face. "Find it, and you will never want for anything. I've searched for years, and found nothing…but I have a good feeling about you, Tetra. You're smarter and bolder than I ever was. I have faith in you…"

Tetra's resolve hardened, and when she spoke her voice filled the room. "I will follow the path of my predecessors to my destiny."

* * *

"Thanks, Link!" Makar exclaimed as Link freed him from the room where the mysterious hand had dropped him.

"Sorry I took so long," Link muttered. After swinging and floating all over the temple like a hyperactive spider, not to mention an obnoxious battle that only ended when he realized the robed wizard was the one creating more enemies, he was relieved to finally be getting somewhere.

Link tried to focus as he fought off floating skulls wrapped in the Fog of Confusion, Makar dropping seeds and growing trees around him. Nowhere near the end of his quest, and he was exhausted. He missed Tetra, and his sister. Speaking with Aryll on his birthday seemed like an age gone by. He could only see an endless stream of monsters in front of him. Yet he could feel Ganon following behind, strangely close. At this point, it was the only thing driving him on.

After what seemed like a nightmare of gale force wind and sharp, flashing metal razor blades, he finally reached the main chamber. After gulping down the remainder of a bottle of soup his grandmother had given him, he said to Makar, "I should go on alone from here."

He entered the room, a giant space filled with sand. Puzzled, Link walked over the sand to the center of the room.

He heard the hissing of the sand as it passed by his ankles, and a hole opened up in the middle of the room, drawing the sand – and Link – toward it in hypnotizing fashion. A large eye stalk rose up out of the hole, blinked at Link, and then revealed below two sets of razor-sharp teeth.

Link struggled against both mental and physical exhaustion as he battled the thing, drawing the eye stalk to him with his Hookshot and then slashing at it with his sword. More than once he fell victim to the hypnosis of the whirling, sinking sand, and wound up in the jaws of the creature. Luckily it seemed to enjoy biting him more than actually eating him, and he landed hard on the shifting sand when it spit him out.

Finally, when he felt he could lift his sword no longer, his final blow reverberated throughout the creature, which shriveled up and drained the sand, leaving the mark of the Triforce on the stone floor.

The door opened and Makar flew in. "Are you all right?" he demanded of Link, who kneeled on the ground, out of breath.

"I'll be fine." With some difficulty, he rose and placed his sword in the plinth. Taking out the Wind Waker, he nodded to Makar and began to conduct. Just as before, a ghost of the past Sage appeared, and the Master Sword glowed golden as the music swelled.

"Aha!" A sharp, deep voice pierced through the song, and Link stopped, startled. The glow faded, and the three turned to face the intruder.

"So that's it, is it?" All three gasped in surprise and fear as Ganondorf stepped into the room, his eyes alight. "A conductor's baton that grants the user the power of the gods. How very interesting."

Link shoved the Wind Waker in his belt and pulled the Master Sword out of the plinth, even though he knew it still did not have its full power. _Maybe I can at least scratch him a bit…_

Ganondorf stopped, unperturbed. "There will be no fighting today," he said to Link, then turned to the phantom Sage. "Hello, ghost," he greeted the Kokiri cordially. "No need to be afraid…I can't kill you twice."

"What do you want, Ganon?" Link demanded.

"Just a little information." Ganondorf ignored Link and focused on the Sage. "You're the replacement the Deku Tree sent after Saria died, aren't you?"

Puzzled, Link watched as the Sage stuttered, "How…how do you know that?"

"The Deku Tree told me."

"He wouldn't! He would never tell you anything."

"He did!" Makar squeaked, and they all turned to look at him. "He came, and told the Deku Tree that the Hero of Time was killed by someone else…and that person killed Saria too!"

The Sage regarded Ganondorf skeptically. "I don't believe that."

"It doesn't matter what you believe," Ganondorf told him laconically. "But since Link is here, you might want to give him some information that will help him with his quest."

"_You're_ looking for information that will help _me?_" Link demanded in disbelief.

"It will help both of us." Ganondorf's face turned grave as stone as he regarded the Sage. "When was the last time you played your violin, before you died?"

The Sage raised his chin with pride. "At the Prayer to the Goddesses that swept Evil from the land."

"Evil and a whole lot else," Ganondorf grunted. "Was Ruto there?"

He shook his head. "No, the Water Sage had disappeared, as well as the Spirit Sage. The Zora King sent a replacement – took forever, he was so distraught over the death of his daughter – but no one ever showed up to replace Nabooru."

Ganondorf nodded, and turned to Link. "And who gave you that?" he asked, pointing to the Wind Waker.

Link hesitated, not wanting to give Ganondorf any information. "My guide, the King of Red Lions."

"I see." He regarded Link for a long moment, during which Link wondered what he was staring at. Finally, Ganondorf stepped toward him and said, "Boy, we are foes, but we have an enemy in common. You will understand all too soon what I mean. It is in the best interest of the both of us for you to find your predecessor's Triforce piece and fulfill your quest, so I'm just going to give you a piece of good, solid advice."

Link waited. "I'm listening," he said tensely.

"Trust no one." Ganondorf met his steady gaze, as if trying to insert the information directly into his mind. "Not me, not the Sages, not the King of Red Lions…nobody. Except, possibly Tetra, or rather Zelda. She is your one true ally, as she was before."

"Okay," Link said slowly, wondering what this was all about.

"That's it." Ganondorf turned and walked toward the door. "Not much, but a critical piece of advice all the same, and it will serve you well." He turned to see them still watching him. "Well, go on," he said with a dismissive flip of the hand. "Go back to what you were doing. You can't finish your quest with a broken sword." He turned and disappeared through the doorway.

Link scowled after him in a grotesque expression of utter disbelief, then thrust the sword back in the plinth.


	5. The Rito's Origins

The first thing he sensed, when he finally began to rise to consciousness, was a deep burning in his throat and the briny taste of salt water, mixed with mud. Suddenly his lungs swelled and he coughed explosively, retching up seawater from both his chest and his stomach. His eyes fluttered open and he found himself staring at an ant struggling in thick, pasty mud.

Struggling to his knees, his arms sinking elbow-deep in the mire, Ganondorf took a squinted look around him, blinking hard in the harsh sunlight. The last thing he remembered was the screams of the Gerudo woman and child echoing in his ears, as they fell from the cliff into the frothing ocean below.

Still clad in his old battle-armor from his fight with the Hero, he managed to stand after a few failed tries and stared at the scenery in front of him. He did not recognize it. Stone as far as the eye could see, with flotsam and jetsam from the flood piled up in crevices between boulders. A horrific stench pummeled his nostrils. _Where am I?_

He dropped his gaze to the ground as he turned around, disoriented and confused. Stumbling forward, he saw a tiny hand enter his short range of vision. Stupefied, he followed its arm up to its body, a tiny doll thrown on the mud as if by some child in a fit of temper, clad in tattered Gerudo fabric.

He stopped, then bent down and picked up the child, his brain still numb. She lay soft and still in his hands, not marked in any way but clearly dead, eyes forever closed. A tiny needle of despair began to break through the shock as he brushed a bit of mud from her face. Her forehead-jewel, given to every Gerudo along with their name, was missing. He looked down at the ground as if expecting it to lie waiting there, and noticed water lapping at his feet.

Bewildered, he stared at it for several moments. He had not seen the mountains over the horizon; how had he managed to end up near Lake Hylia? Slowly he lifted his gaze, and the horrific scene of utter destruction met his eyes.

A great body of water lay before him. Lying along the shoreline and bobbing in the water lay countless bodies, some being torn apart by quibbling seagulls. As the source of the stench suddenly registered in his brain he fell to his knees, stomach heaving. A seagull trotted up nonchalantly toward him, eyeing the precious bundle in his hands with a look of hungry eagerness. In a blast of rage, Ganondorf flung a fireball in its face and reduced it to ash where it stood. The others around him took flight, shrieking like ravens.

Ganondorf Dragmire, King of Evil and Lord of Darkness, buried his face in the child's body and let his tears flow as he bowed before the punishment brought upon him by the Goddesses. He kneeled and simply mourned his people, like a child orphaned by fire started by his own carelessness.

After what seemed like hours, he dried his eyes and rose to his feet. _It is my duty to at least send my people into the next world with as proper a ceremony that I can manage._ He struggled to his feet, clutching the child firmly in his hands, and scanned the horizon for the dead.

Suddenly he realized that the Gerudo were not alone.

A battered body nearby he had mistaken for a rock was, in fact, a Goron. Puzzled, he walked down the shoreline, his eyes widening as he saw all of Hyrule's races present, even the Zora. As he found a Zora body clutching a dead Hylian woman, he realized that the Zora must have attempted to rescue her, but had been beaten to death against the rocks by the turbulent waves.

Mystified, he lifted his gaze to the horizon, and realized with a shock that he _was_ standing near the top of the Hyrule mountain range. But the sea that now stretched for miles before him had somehow risen to that level. His mind reeled at the thought of so much water, and where it had come from.

_It must be the work of the Goddesses…no one else could accomplish such a feat. But why did they kill so many, including the Hero's people? Are they angry at the Hero for getting killed? It doesn't make sense…even I could not bring about such senseless destruction…_

Ganondorf stared out over the sea, the slight breeze ruffling his hair. He glanced down at the Triforce mark on the back of his hand. _I will solve this mystery, and restore the great kingdom of Hyrule that I once ruled, even if I must give up what little I have left._

* * *

Running out of tunes, Tetra began to doubt that any magic resided within the Ocarina. Only a few more songs remained, and she had not managed to make it do a thing. She sighed, turning back from the tower balcony where she sat toward the inner room, where the strange man lay sleeping. Every once in a while he made a soft cry in his sleep, and Tetra wondered absently if it were possible for the Great Evil of legend to have nightmares. Despite his polite overtures ("Help yourself to anything in the pantry"), she was still a prisoner here.

Sighing, Tetra tried a short, lilting tune. To her immense surprise, the midday sun faded to black, replaced by the moon. She sat for a moment in total shock, then played the tune again, and the sun returned.

Hearing her yelps, Ganondorf appeared bleary-eyed at the door. "Find something?"

Startled, she started at him, then the ocarina. "Yes, but…I don't think it's what you're looking for…"

"But it still works? Show me."

Tetra played the short piece, flinching slightly as darkness fell. Ganondorf looked up in surprise. "Well, that explains a few things…but it doesn't help us at all."

Tetra played once more (the darkness unnerved her), as Ganondorf shook his head. "It's good to confirm that it works…but that's not what I'm looking for."

Frowning, Tetra said, "I don't know any more songs."

"I was afraid of this." Thoughtfully stroking his beard, Ganondorf muttered, "There are a couple other Ancient Ones who might know it…but they won't be happy to see me."

"Ancient Ones?"

He nodded. "Individuals who were around before the Great Flood. Actually, Jabu is the only one of the two who remembers those times. Valoo was born shortly after the flood. But I still don't know where Jabu is hiding, and Valoo won't let me get a word in edgewise…"

"Why don't I come with you?" Tetra offered, getting tired of being shut up in basements and towers.

He frowned at her. The last thing Ganondorf wanted was for the Bearer of Wisdom to escape out of his reach. He also did not like the idea of a little girl tagging along behind him, Zelda or not. Still, perhaps her presence would give him a bit of credibility…

"All right," he grunted reluctantly. "But you'll have to do what I tell you."

Tetra scowled.

"It's for your own safety," he added. She looked suspicious, but nodded.

"Can I at least change my clothes?" she asked, fingering the pink fabric of her dress with distaste.

Ganondorf smiled slightly. "Normally I'd say yes, but since it's the presence of the Princess Zelda that will help us most, I'll have to say no."

* * *

Prince Komali sat dejectedly on a stone near the mailbox, scanning the sea for any sign of Link or Medli. He didn't see the two travelers until they hailed him.

Turning his head, he saw a robust older man wearing a finely woven robe, leading a girl in a pink dress. The sight of the girl made Komali catch his breath. She wore jewelry and even a crown, as if some dignitary visiting from a foreign nation…yet he had the feeling he should recognize her, even though he knew for certain he hadn't seen her before. Perhaps the man was her assistant?

"Hello there!" Komali called out to them. "What brings you to Dragon Roost Island?"

"The dragon," the man said shortly. A stranger pair could not be made. The girl projected kindness, benevolence, and wisdom, whereas the man had a dark aura around him that felt like the stuff of nightmares and made Komali's feathers bristle.

"The Great Valoo? Whatever for?" Komali asked, now on his guard.

The girl smiled up at him. "We must ask him about things gone by, ancient things that may affect our future."

Nodding, Komali said, "I understand what you mean. The Evil One of legend extended his influence here not too long ago."

"Imagine that," the man muttered. For some reason the girl looked like she was trying hard not to laugh.

Komali gave her a puzzled look, then said, "I am Prince Komali of the Rito. Might I ask your names?"

The girl gave him a stiff little bow. "I am Princess Zelda of Hyrule."

"I'm not familiar with Hyrule. Is it far away?"

Both the man and girl stifled laughter in some secret joke, irritating Komali. He turned his gaze to the man. "And you?"

"I am Ganon, King of Evil," he said with an absolutely straight face. The girl couldn't contain herself, and dissolved into giggles.

Komali straightened himself up to his full height. "Now, really! My mountain may not be much of a kingdom, but it's very rude for a Princess from another country to mock me! And I can assure you that the presence of Ganon is nothing to laugh about!"

His hard words had the opposite effect on the visitors, who roared with laughter. Komali turned around in a huff and began to walk away, but the man called after him, "My apologies, Prince Komali. If you would be so kind to escort us to Valoo, you'll understand why we find this so funny. Oh, and you can call me Ganondorf, if you would."

Komali turned back and folded his arms. "And why would the Great Valoo want to see you, Ganondorf? You won't be able to understand him. Only Medli can speak his ancient language, and she's not here right now."

The fiery-haired man grinned. "Oh, I don't think the language thing will be a problem. As for why he will want to see us…I can tell him, and you, where you both came from."

* * *

Tetra hid behind the massive bulk of her guide as the giant dragon roared in his face. Ganondorf, for his part, stood with arms folded, completely unperturbed. He spoke quickly and respectfully, at times gesturing to both Komali and Tetra.

The dragon turned his gaze from him to her, and she flinched, but he did not open his mouth. Instead, he regarded her with a knowing look, and then spoke directly to her.

"He says he welcomes the descendant of the Princess Zelda," Ganondorf translated. Tetra nodded and waved, not sure how one greeted a dragon.

Valoo's eyes hardened again as he turned back to Ganondorf. After a short bark from the dragon, Ganondorf launched into a long narrative. Seeing the confused looks of the other two, he told them in an aside, "I'll explain later."

Valoo kept his eyes fixed on Ganondorf, his expression thoughtful. When Ganondorf finished, they traded short statements for a while, and Tetra could only assume that her guide was answering Valoo's questions.

Finally, Valoo gave a long statement of his own, then snapped his mouth shut with a snort and turned his back on them.

Ganondorf gestured to the other two. "Well, that's it for now."

"Are you going to translate any of that?" Tetra demanded.

"Of course, but I think we should move." He turned to Komali. "Is there someplace quiet where we can speak for a while?"

He nodded. "We can go to my chambers."

Once inside Komali's room, Ganondorf sat down on a chair and motioned to the others to do the same. He turned to Komali. "Do you know what the Zora are?"

Shaking his head, he replied, "No, but I recognize that word. Link used it when he came here earlier…he wanted to know about Rito history."

Ganondorf's eyes lit up. "Really? The boy's more clever than I gave him credit for. Anyway…the Rito's earliest history says that they lived on this island, but asked Valoo for wings so they could travel further. Correct?" Komali nodded. "You may find this hard to believe, but the Rito were once a group of fish-people called the Zora."

Komali scowled at him. "That _is_ hard to believe. We live by the ocean…wouldn't it be better if we'd stayed fish-people?"

"I suppose I should start at the beginning." Ganondorf nodded toward Tetra. "Zelda here is the descendant of an ancient kingdom that existed before Rito history began. Hundreds of years ago, it drowned in a great flood that formed the ocean you see today. The fierceness of the flood killed many of the Zora along with the land-dwellers. It tore them away from their guardian deity, Jabu-Jabu, and washed the remainder up on this island.

"They feared going back into the ocean that had killed so many of them, and could find very few fish in it to eat. So they began to explore the island, and found a dragon's egg. This egg, it turned out, was the last remaining offspring of a dragon called Volvagia, who died in a battle with the Hero of Time. The Zora raised this baby dragon to adulthood, who granted them wings to thank them for their kindness.

"Jabu-Jabu eventually tracked down his lost people, but by this time Valoo had become so attached to them, Jabu-Jabu relented and left for Greatfish Island. He stayed there until recently, when I attempted to take Nayru's Pearl from him before Link could."

Komali blanched, and backed away, trembling. "So…you _are_…_him_…"

Ganondorf waved his hand dismissively. "Don't faint, you've got nothing I want, so there's no need to worry."

"Excuse me," Tetra piped up, "but wasn't the point of coming here to find the Requiem of History?"

"I'm getting to that. Valoo told me that Medli knows it…it was taught to her as part of her training as assistant, though she doesn't know its power. Makar, another one of the Sages, knows it as well." Ganondorf stood and nodded to Tetra. "Valoo told me, with some reluctance, where I could find them, once I informed him that his people did not remember their history. He gave me that information on the condition that I reveal to his people their lost history, as he can no longer communicate with them." He paused. "It seems that Valoo is also aware of the third party attempting to seek Hyrule, or he likely would have told me nothing."

Komali's head whirled with confusion. "I don't understand," was all he managed to say.

Ganondorf frowned at him. "All you need to know is what I just told you about your lost history. Tell it to the other Rito." He turned to Tetra. "As for the two of us, we need to seek out Medli and Makar."

"What are you going to do with Medli?" Komali demanded in a challenging voice, as the other two turned to leave.

Ganondorf glanced back over his shoulder, one eyebrow raised. "Medli will help us restore the lost kingdom…if all goes well."


	6. A Flash of the Past

Link scrambled frantically around the labyrinth room, holding a lit bomb high like a hot potato over his head, dodging the spiky sides of the animated statue that _would not leave him alone_. Finally he leaped to the side and chucked the bomb as well as he could behind him, hearing it explode as soon as it left his hands.

"_OW!_" His arm singed by a piece of shrapnel, he stumbled to his feet and fished out another bomb, running ahead of the ever-pursuing statue like the loser end of a cat-and-mouse game.

Finally, he gained enough ground to turn around and throw the bomb back into the statue's mouth. It detonated and blew the statue to bits, showering Link with bits of stone. Now free of pursuers, he fell on his back in exhaustion as a treasure chest appeared in the middle of the room.

Once he caught his breath, he stumbled over to the chest. "That was worth a good chunk of magic triangle," he grumbled, hoping it wouldn't be too heavy to carry.

Peering into the chest, he saw not a golden triangle or even a fragment of one, but…another treasure map. An illegible treasure map.

Link snarled a number of words that he would never have repeated in his grandmother's presence, and resisted the urge to tear the map to shreds. He stuffed it in his travel pack and made his way back through the long, winding labyrinth.

"What is it?" the King of Red Lions demanded upon seeing his black expression.

Link waved the map in his face. "I was expecting a piece of Triforce, and I got this!"

The King frowned. "Don't you think Ganon would have found it years ago if it wasn't well hidden? Did you think these pieces just wandered into these places by themselves?"

Link wanted to stick out his tongue at him, but didn't. "I guess not…who hid them? Not you, or we'd just go to the pieces themselves…"

"I had someone else hide them. What would have happened if I had hid them, and Ganon came after me? As for the map, I'm sure someone on Windmill Island can translate it for us."

Grumbling, Link climbed into the boat and set his sail for Windmill Island. He showed it to a number of people, but nobody seemed to recognize the strange characters written on it. He walked into the wealthy man's house, which had changed hands after the rich man gave up his wealth for his daughter, and his poor counterpart made a fortune selling Moblins' necklaces.

The man had no interest in dusty maps and became dismissive upon finding that Link had no necklaces to sell. "The only person I know of who might be interested in this sort of thing," he sniffed, "Is a strange little man who is locked up in the jail on this island. I was there for…er…nonpayment of debts at one point, but I don't have to worry about that anymore."

Link nodded and left, avoiding his daughter (who kept asking him about her beau, a Moblin that apparently wanted to eat her), and walked to the back of the set of buildings. He'd had no reason to go in here before, but he was getting desperate.

He opened the door to find the jail completely empty save for one very, very strange-looking individual. A man (he had the face and paunch of a man, though he was no taller than Link) sat on a little table, clothed head to toe in a green garb even more ridiculous than Link's own. Around his neck he wore what appeared to be a clock, his hat pointed upward like a flower bud, and upon seeing Link, the man's expression went from gloomy to beaming in an instant.

"Oh!" He jumped down from the table, and ran to the wooden bars in little roly-poly steps. "Are you here to rescue poor Tingle? My goodness, you're dressed like a fairy! I do so love fairies. What are you doing here, Mr. Fairy?"

Link shook his head, trying to clear it and focus on his mission. "Er, I'm sorry, Mr…Tingle, was it? I'm not a fairy, my name is Link, and I was wondering if you could translate this map for me."

"I love maps!" Tingle exclaimed with a child's gusto. But here he lowered his eyes and spoke with the first absence of innocence. "But I don't translate things for free, Mr. Fairy. Let me out of here and I'll do it."

Link briefly considered the moral ramifications of springing this man from jail, but decided the return of Ganon trumped anything this little nut could do. He turned around and dug the key out of a box in the corner. _He can't be anything that dangerous if security is this lax around here._

"Oh, thank you so much!" Tingle exclaimed with a happy little dance. "Now, let me see your map."

Link handed it over. "I seeeeee…" Tingle muttered in a low voice. "Very, very ancient, this is. And there's a bit of a code to crack, too. But don't worry, it's nothing Tingle can't handle." He took a quill pen from the (empty) guard's desk and scrawled on it for a bit, then handed it back. The funny little man handed Link a small piece of parchment. "This is a map showing Tingle's Island in the Great Sea!" he stated as if he were announcing the whereabouts of the Goddesses themselves. "Come visit me if you find more maps, and I will translate them for you, for a very good price!"

_For a good price?_ Link wondered to himself as Tingle skipped happily out the door. Fingering his lean moneybag, he steeled himself for another labyrinth of monsters.

* * *

Tetra swatted at the flock of Keese over her head, which always seemed to choose her over her guide. "Can I have my normal clothes back _now?_"

Ganondorf turned slightly, made an almost imperceptible flick of his hand, and Tetra found herself back in her pirate's garb. Gleefully she whipped out her dagger and sliced it through the cloud of pests, until they lay dead at her feet.

She trotted alongside the large man in the strange underground temple, and stepped forward when a dark shape stood up from the ground. "Come on, have at you!"

The creature – which looked like it had once been human – turned to face her and emitted a hair-raising shriek that forced her to drop her dagger and clamp her hands over her ears. She could hear its shuffling feet moving toward her.

"Shoo," Ganondorf said to it. The thing gave him a baleful glare, then settled back down onto the floor. "You won't want to get grabbed by those," he warned Tetra.

"Why don't they attack _you_?" she demanded.

He gave her a half-joking smile. "I'm the incarnation of all that is evil, remember? A few bogeymen and bats aren't too much for me to handle."

Tetra scowled and followed him, sheathing her dagger. "You don't seem all that evil. You just seem…old." She could not put her finger on what compelled her to trust him, at least for now, though she had a sneaking suspicion her newly gained Wisdom had something to do with it.

His eyes crinkled in a wry expression. "I _am_ old. The years have taught me patience. But I am still not a kind man, and once we meet Link again, I will be your enemy once more. Just be glad you didn't meet me during the Hero's time…or worse, during the Fierce War."

"The what?"

"The Fierce War, or the Hylian civil war." He smiled as his mind traveled back to even more ancient times. "I led my first campaign as King of the Gerudo in that war. Back then, Hyrule was just a small city-state, with small fiefdoms around it. The King at the time wanted to rule over all of them. He called it 'unity', but we wanted no part of it. Neither did the Kando to the north; they allied with the Mutia Nation, which was incredibly strong back then, so Hyrule left them alone. We weren't so lucky."

Tetra frowned, knowing she was probably getting a biased account. "What about the Zora and the Gorons?"

"Neither race cared much for fighting, and they saw the move as a good way to make trade easier between the groups, so they didn't care. For the most part, anyway. There were rebels in each, and there were even some Hylians that allied with us."

Tetra stared. "Why'd they do that?"

He shrugged. "People have strange bedfellows during these events. The Hylians that allied with us were the ones that hated us the most, believe it or not…their reasoning was that if they foiled the King's plan, they'd never have to deal with us again." Here a wide grin spread across his face. "In between the lines of their hateful rhetoric, I learned that the land possessed a great magic, which would bestow unimaginable power onto its owner. Since my people were losing the fight, I decided to play nice with the King for a while, come to him with my tail between my legs like a whipped dog, then snatch the Triforce out from under his nose."

His expression blackened and twisted deeper into a more recognizable form of the evil spoken in the legends. "He wanted to break our proud race, to force our warriors into 'civilized' positions of scullery-maid and women of the night! Oh, how I relished killing him." His face split into a malicious grin. "Pathetic little weasel, he couldn't fight or die like a man. Ha! The King of Hyrule, groveling on his knees before me, begging for his life! The look on his face when he watched his own blood spill on the floor of the castle…" Ganondorf burst into wicked laughter, a soul-shattering sound that echoed throughout the chamber.

He looked back to see Tetra hanging behind, eyes wide, slowly backing away. "Sorry," he said in a more normal voice. "But I think now you understand what I mean…"

He beckoned to her, but she didn't budge. Slightly exasperated, he told her, "I'm not going to hurt you. I had the greatest respect for your ancestor, whose spirit lives within you, even though we were enemies."

Tetra looked down upon the Triforce mark on her hand. "I didn't want to be chained to this fate, as a helpless princess…" she muttered, more to herself than to him.

Ganondorf looked surprised. "Eh? Helpless? No, not really…she wasn't a fighter, but she spent seven years under another identity, somewhat like you. She used her magic to disguise herself as a male Shekiah…a sort of warrior guardian, trained in deception, secrets, and shadows, and the Hero wouldn't have gotten anywhere without her help." He chuckled. "It wasn't until she finally revealed herself to the Hero that I realized she'd been hiding under my nose the entire time. Clever, that one." He nodded to Tetra. "She lives within you, but you are still a different person. Who told you that you had to follow her every move?"

Startled, Tetra realized that Ganondorf had been addressing her as Tetra the entire time, and only used 'Zelda' when he wanted to impress someone. "King Daphnes. He said this was the reason I live…Come to think if it, isn't he the King you killed?"

Ganondorf snorted. "Don't listen to that old fool. You can choose your own fate, though the Triforce of Wisdom will nudge you back and forth along the way. Well, you probably shouldn't listen to me too much either…but as I said, the power of the gods will guide you…And no, that was a different King. Daphnes was his heir, son of the Light Sage, and married your ancestor."

Tetra took another look at the mark on her hand, then trotted back to his side. "I wish I knew more of the old legends. All this would make a lot more sense."

"Indeed. But we are nearing the bottom of this temple, where we should begin to get some more information. Sorry, but I'm going to have to insist that you wear your princess dress again."

Tetra looked up to see a large, ornate stone door, which opened automatically as they stepped into the gigantic room. There was nothing in it save for the mark of the Triforce on the floor, and a Rito girl playing a lute. She sat with closed eyes, deep in meditation, the soft sounds of her instrument echoing throughout the chamber.

"You must be Medli." Ganondorf's harsh, booming voice contrasted sharply with the light notes of the lute, and the Rito girl's eyes flew open. She clutched the instrument to her upon laying eyes on the huge man, and backed away. "Who are you?" she demanded.

"I am Ganondorf, your friend Link's adversary. This is Princess Zelda, a friend of his and the heir to a lost kingdom."

Medli kept her eyes on Ganondorf. "Link's adversary? Did you kidnap this princess? What do you want with me?"

"Do you understand the ancient tongue that Valoo speaks?"

"Yes, but…"

"Then I give you a message." He began to speak in the old Hylian dialect. "Medli, do not trust this man, but do not refuse him. Trust in the Princess in his company. Remember the North Star."

Medli blinked. The last part of the message was a secret code, signaling that it did indeed come from Valoo. "All right," she said, trying to hide the tremble in her voice, "Ganondorf and Princess Zelda…what do you want? And what does it have to do with Link?"

Tetra stepped forward. "Medli, do you know a song called the Requiem of History?"

Medli's mouth dropped open in shock. "Yes, I know half of it…Valoo taught it to me. He said only he and a few others even knew about it."

"Figures," Ganondorf grumbled. "I suppose the other sage has the second half." He turned to Medli. "Could you play a bit of it for us?"

"Of…of course…" Clearly puzzled, Medli skillfully ran her hands across the strings of the lute, and an intricate melody floated through the air. It was at once both beautiful and melancholy, quick and slow, hopeful and fearful. She stopped in the middle of a rising chord. "I'm sorry, that's all I know," she admitted, blushing.

Ganondorf turned to Tetra. "Can you play that on the Ocarina?"

She took it out of her pocket and frowned. "I'm not sure…it seems kind of complicated…"

"Try."

Tetra lifted the Ocarina to her lips, and as Medli strummed the lute again, a strange feeling came over her. Her fingers seemed to guide themselves over the holes of the Ocarina, and the music filled her ears and vision.

Suddenly, she was no longer in the dank chamber. She stood in a bright courtyard full of flowers, in the same castle she had seen before. Off to her left two children her own age stood, one dressed exactly like her, and another just like Link. Above the boy a fairy fluttered, and the girl gestured to a window, asking him to look through. Tetra walked in behind them, but they didn't seem to notice her. She followed their gaze, and watched as a tall, muscled man in black armor walked into a stately room full of guards, and kneeled toward someone she couldn't see. The girl spoke, but for some reason Tetra couldn't hear.

Suddenly the man turned his head, sensing he was being watched, and glared at them with fierce yellow eyes. The boy yelped and jumped back, bumping into Tetra.

She blinked, and found herself back in the temple, Medli staring at her with wide eyes. Ganondorf shook himself out of a reverie, and looked toward Tetra.

Her voice trembled. "The boy and girl…was that…"

Gnaondorf nodded. "The Hero of Time and Princess Zelda, yes. And myself, when I was…er…more active." He gave her a wan smile. "The Requiem of History allows any who hear it, a brief glimpse of the past. With the other sage's half, and Link to conduct for all of you, the legends of old will come alive."

Tetra frowned at him. "Why are you going through so much trouble to show us our past? We'll see all the horrible things you did as well…won't that work against you?"

"Perhaps…I have already told you that I am not your friend. But it is important that you know your past, and how to control the Requiem of History, because as it is you can only see what was known to many people." With a deep, solemn expression, he nodded toward both of them. "Once everyone is together, I am going to try an experiment…if it works, it will clear up the mystery surrounding the flooding of Hyrule…and hopefully reveal the identity of the third party who works against us both."


	7. The Hidden One Approaches

Ganondorf stared out over the yellowed fields from the tower he had built for himself. Even after seven years of absolute rule, he still encountered resistance. The Zora had been the first, and in a fit of rage he had frozen their spring. It effectively ended their rebellion, but it had other consequences. With all the water locked up in ice further upstream, Lake Hylia reeked of rotten fish and decomposing pondweed. The river slowed to drought levels, and the green lands he had cherished so deeply shriveled and died.

He had promised to himself that he would show more restraint next time, but something interfered with his judgement.

He knew what the Something was. It sat burned in the back of his hand. It whispered to him, sweetly, tantalizingly, with the voice of chattering weasels and tainted honey. He had let it loose when he attacked the Zora.

When he discovered that Darunia, the Goron leader, had been secretly hiding bomb-making materials for Hylians he suspected as rebels, the voices called to him again. "_Kill them all."_

_No. I want them to obey, not die. They are useful._

"_They will not obey. They are a threat. Volvagia hungers for the flesh denied her for so long."_

He found himself licking his lips as if to appease his own hunger, then shook his head and pulled hard against the force that drove him ever closer to madness.

_I won't. I just want to scare them. They're terrified of that dragon. As long as they're locked up in that temple they can't do anything_.

"_Darunia does not fear her."_

_Darunia is but one person._

"_Our spies say he has secured the help of the Bearer of Courage. The Bearer who has already killed our servant in the Water Temple."_

Involuntarily Ganondorf's lips pulled back in a snarl. The boy from seven years ago, the boy who inadvertently helped him get what he wanted, now threatened to pull the ground from beneath his feet.

"_Kill him."_

_No. I need all three pieces to gain full power. If he dies, Zelda will flee Hyrule. I know she has the third piece. I know she must be helping him, somehow. I can feel her presence here, somewhere…_

The voices snarled harshly in the face of logic, immolating him in bloody desire. _"Kill him. Kill the boy. Run him through with your sword. Feel his hot lifeblood on your hands…"_

_Be silent! You are nothing but a tool. I am the Master here!_ He gripped his head in his hands, then struck it against the wall, stars sparkling in his vision.

* * *

"Do you really want to spend the rest of your life in this basement?"

Tetra looked up from where she sat on the ground, head on her knees, Medli trembling beside her. Unlike Medli, Makar knew who Ganondorf was, and had scrambled up the wall in an attempt to get away from him.

Makar chucked a pebble at him. It bounced off his forehead with no effect. "The Great Deku Tree told me all about you. I'm not coming down. You want to destroy Hyrule and the Great Sea!"

Tetra couldn't help but feel a bit of pity for the old man, standing there with a flummoxed look on his face. "What's wrong with you?" he shouted up at Makar. "The Great Sea is useless…who ever heard of an ocean with no fish? Getting rid of it is a _good_ thing. I want to conquer Hyrule, not destroy it."

Bored, Tetra yelled over to him, "What's the difference?"

Ganondorf turned to her. "There's a _huge_ difference. If your country is conquered, it's at least still _intact…_there's a chance you might eventually get it _back_. But if it's _destroyed…_well, it's gone, and nobody gets it. It's pointless." Seeing her blank look, he continued, "Look…say I have a ship, and you steal it from me. So I come to take it back, and it becomes pretty apparent that you'll have to give it up. So what do you do…burn it down, or give it up and try to take it back later on?"

"Take it back later," Tetra replied immediately, horrified at the thought of a burning ship. The wood alone required to build one was nearly impossible to find. She had inherited her own ship from her grandfather.

Medli chewed on the ends of her wing feathers. "Zelda says you let Hyrule run rampant with monsters the last time you were in charge of it. Are you going to do that again?"

"What I do with it is irrelevant," Ganondorf stated to his skeptical audience. "The point is, you need to play the Requiem of History for Link. _Both_ our plans depend on this."

Tetra rested her chin on her knees. "And this mysterious Number Three that keeps coming up? He doesn't want us to play the Requiem?"

"He doesn't want you to know your history…that much is obvious."

"Maybe he wants us to start over," Medli piped up. "Maybe Hyrule has too many problems to bring it back."

Medli shrieked and leaped into the air as Ganondorf stomped over to her, a flash of rage in his eyes. With a huge effort, he took a deep breath and calmed down slightly. "You haven't been there yet," he growled in a voice that was supposed to be reassuring. "You don't know the beauty of the land. Zelda has." He nodded to her with an almost pleading look.

"It's true," Tetra said. "It's wonderful. You can't imagine it unless you see it."

Makar hung on the wall, undecided. Finally, he fluttered down to the ground. "I'll come. The Deku Tree said Zelda is the Keeper of Wisdom." Medli stepped next to him and nodded her assent.

"Don't let me down, Keeper of Wisdom," Ganondorf muttered to Tetra. She frowned; she didn't care what _he_ thought, but the lives of others she cared about were riding on her shoulders…

* * *

Ruto wrapped her wet cloak around her, trying not to dry out as she rode in a small procession through the castle town. She didn't normally travel outside the Zora's lands, but her father had fallen ill and it was her duty to meet with the King of Hyrule, Daphnes Nohasen. The fact that she had nothing but bad news to report blackened her mood. Ever since she had picked up the scent of Link's blood in a small aquifer that connected the Lost Woods to the Zora's Domain, she had been searching for him in the surrounding area. But she never found anything.

The Zora, like the lesser creatures who lived in the water, had a keen sense of smell. She had seen no sign of blood, but she knew what it was and could identify Link's scent. Unfortunately, the trail had begun and ended there. She hoped that he had simply washed himself after being injured, but his long absence told her otherwise.

Ruto directed her soldiers to stop first at the Temple of Time. Here Rito looked with brooding eyes onto the gem she had given Link as a wedding gift. How was she to know it would serve some higher purpose? How could she have possibly been prepared for his statement that he loved another?

Her guards turned to face a person entering the temple. A familiar scent entered her nose and a chill ran down her spine. _That smell…side by side with the Hero's blood…_

She whirled round, and her eyes widened in surprise and disbelief. "No…it cannot be…!"

* * *

A splintering crack against an ebony surface, shards of glass shattering and piercing her flesh.

Zelda woke up screaming, clutching at her chest in pain as if she had been stabbed in the chest. She fell out of the chair where she had fallen asleep and onto the grass of the courtyard. Her stomach heaved and she vomited upon the ground.

At once two people stepped over to her side. "What is wrong?" Impa demanded, eyes full of concern.

"Mama!" Her five-year-old son, Kyan, clutched her arm.

Zelda coughed, arms trembling, trying to speak. "Another Sage…another Sage has been killed…the seal has been broken!"

Impa's eyes widened. "The seal that holds Ganon?"

"Ma!" Kyan tugged at her dress as she stood, tears in his eyes.

Zelda pushed him toward Impa. "Look after him. I must find out what happened…"

* * *

Link tumbled out of his ship and ran up the stairs to Hyrule Castle's entrance, eager to see his friend again. He raced through the door, and halfway down the stairs stopped dead in his tracks.

The stone Hero's decapitated head lay at his feet. In addition the body had been hacked off the feet, the broken Master Sword lying a good twenty feet from its original position.

The door to the castle basement stood wide open.

Link stood frozen in fear for a split second. "Tetra!" he shouted, leaping down the stairs two at a time. "Tetra! Yell if you can hear me!" He barely avoided tripping over his own feet and cracking his head on the hard stone as he reached the bottom.

He saw Tetra, in Zelda's dress, turn around and wave at him.

Relieved, he trotted up to the Master Sword's platform. "Sorry it took me so long," he said, puffing and lifting up the sword. "You wouldn't believe what I had to go through in order to recharge this thing…"

He stopped and stared in stupefaction as Tetra disappeared before his eyes. "What the…"

A wall of flames leaped up all around him. Two knights that had been standing at the platform suddenly came to life, and he could see with just a glance that they were much stronger than any of the dark knights he had battled before.

Ganondorf's voice rang throughout the chamber. "I commend you for getting this far, Chosen Hero. Unfortunately, I cannot allow you to come any further. Here you will remain…in eternal sleep…"

* * *

As Tetra finally emerged from Makar's temple, she ran smack into Ganondorf's backside. He had stopped short and stiffened, as if sensing something in the air. "Link has discovered your absence in the castle," he informed her. "We must hurry."

"Blech." Tetra motioned to the other two, telling them to join hands. She felt a now-familiar jerking sensation in the back of her mind, followed by intense motion-sickness. She felt her feet connect hard with the cold stone of Ganondorf's tower.

Medli and Makar glanced around with trepidation, perhaps expecting wallpaper made of batwings and skeletons piled decoratively in the corner. To their surprise the place did not look all that different from the temples, albeit in darker tones and with more intricate designs. "It looks…nice…" Medli said in a barely perceptible voice.

Tetra glanced around. "Where's Link?"

"He should be here shortly." Ganondorf stepped out on the balcony of his tower, which overlooked the castle. "I set up a trap of sorts for him in the castle basement…don't worry, he should be fine," he assured Tetra as he saw her eyes widen. "Nothing he can't handle after all he's been through…I just needed something to alert me when he got close."

Tetra stepped eagerly to his side, watching the castle door and crumbled pathway which led to the tower. Medli and Makar joined her. Ganondorf walked back into the tower, as eager to get away from them as he was sure they were to have him leave.

Suddenly, Tetra heard a voice in the back of her mind. _I cannot allow you to follow the Evil One's lead._ She opened her mouth to question the voice, and then everything went black.


	8. The Legend of Old

Link reached back and threw his boomerang at the crystal that stood just below three candles, lit with an eerie purplish-black flame. The moment it returned he threw it again. _Three…five…one…four…two…_

He heard a loud click, and the deep basin in front of him filled with water. To his immense surprise, the King of Red Lions floated in on the current. He nodded to Link. "This must be the passage through which Ganon managed to reach the surface. You are very close to your goal; is there anything you need before you move on?"

Link nodded, climbing into the boat. "I'm almost out of healing potion."

"Good. We need to discuss something." The King's voice echoed throughout the small tunnel, enveloped in complete and utter darkness. "I want to make sure you realize that Ganon is a master of deception. He managed to conquer Hyrule the first time by convincing the King to trust him, in spite of irrefutable evidence of his evil nature." He paused, the creaking of the boat and splash of water magnified in the small cavern. "I have been your guide this entire journey. I am the only one you can trust. Do you understand?"

Link frowned. Ganondorf's words echoed in his head. _Trust no one except Zelda._ He wasn't reliable, but he hadn't asked for Link's trust, either. "What about Zelda?" he asked the King.

"Normally, I'd say yes. But since she has been kidnapped by Ganon, he likely has found some way to influence her."

"But doesn't she have the Triforce of Wisdom? Wouldn't that allow her to see if he's lying?"

"He can still cloud her vision. He may not speak an outright lie, but he could certainly convince her of something that is not true."

Link considered this. He had not told the King about meeting Ganondorf in the temple, his words of advice. Ganondorf didn't sound like a man bent on deceiving him. In fact, he seemed pretty open about his motives. _Boy, we are foes, but we have a common enemy._ Maybe that was all just part of the ruse?

"Promise me, Link, that you will listen to me and only me." The King spoke softly, urgently.

Link hesitated, then said slowly, "I promise."

* * *

The sound of the two Sages' shrieking brought Ganondorf running back to the balcony. Tetra lay unconscious between them. Upon seeing him, Medli cringed in a corner, terrified, while Makar flew into his face. "Don't you dare touch her!"

Ganondorf swatted him. "What's the matter with you? What happened to Tetra?"

"As if you don't know! What did you do to her?"

Pushing Makar away from him, Ganondorf knelt down at Tetra's side. He checked her pulse and breathing; both seemed normal, at least for someone sleeping. Then a familiar scent, or rather sense, hit him. It was the feeling of magic, a spell that someone had cast on her. A very familiar spell.

Ganondorf racked his brain as he tried to place it. At one point in his life he had been around it almost constantly. But when?

Then it struck him. _The Hero of Time! The spell that kept him asleep for seven years, cast by the Light Sage…he reeked of it when he left the Temple…_

Frowning as he realized what this meant, he said aloud, "So…he's playing a direct role now. He's forcing my hand…just what does he plan to do?"

The two Sages exchanged anxious glances. "What's wrong with Tetra?" Medli asked in a trembling voice.

"She is simply under a spell, one I did not cast. She merely sleeps; it will not hurt her."

"But why?"

"I'm trying to determine that." _Blast it all…"Trust no one but Zelda", you said to him. Now Link won't listen to me, or the Sages. And I can't lift the spell…it's been cast directly through her Triforce piece! I would need to take it from her…_

_I planned to do that all along…but why would _he_ want me to do it?_

Deeply perturbed, he picked up the sleeping Tetra and carefully carried her to his room, the two Sages trailing anxiously. He placed her in the bed and sat on the floor next to it, brows furrowed in contemplation. "I may be able to break her out of it," he told the Sages, "but it will take some time…I will need to stall Link…"

* * *

Grumbling, Link drank the last of his newly acquired healing potion. At this point he had abandoned all speculation and decided that Ganondorf was simply insane. What kind of person set up phantoms to waylay invaders, then have them show the intruder the correct path upon defeat?

He did manage to find a weapon called the Light Arrows, and they certainly seemed powerful against evil phantoms. After a long phase in twisting, winding tunnels, he wound up back where he started. Just as he took a breath to begin cursing, another phantom appeared. Link hit it, bull's-eye, with a Light Arrow, and as it disappeared the door to the room in front of him opened.

He saw before him a long, broad stairway, very different from the area he'd come from, lavishly decorated in warm shades of red and gold, wood instead of stone. He could already see a few dark knights wandering around above him. With a strange sense of déjà vu, he began his ascent.

The knights gave him little trouble. Link found himself staring at huge, carved double doors. He had a feeling he was near his goal, and approached it cautiously. He leaned up against it and pressed his ear against the door. Faint voices drifted to his ear. Two of them were high and squeaky, but another occupant of the room had a low, rumbling voice. All three sounded very familiar.

Very, very carefully he pulled one of the doors open, little by little. He breathed a short sigh of relief when the well-oiled door did not squeak. Peeking through the crack, he could see an enormous double bed sitting in the middle of a very large room. Opening the door a little more, he noted that no magic creatures appeared to haunt this room. He could hear the voices again, loud enough to discern words.

"Did it work?" a soft, trembling voice asked. Link recognized it as Medli's.

"I don't think so," came the tired reply, from the owner of the rumbling voice. Link's hairs stood on end as he recognized it. _Now he's got Medli too?_

He squeezed in through the door crack and crept toward the bed. About halfway there, a little head poked up from the other side. "Link! You're here!" Makar exclaimed, bolting toward him with Medli on his heels.

"Are you all right?" Link asked them, both overjoyed and concerned. "Where's Zelda? Where's Ganondorf?"

In answer, Ganondorf stood from where he had been sitting next to the bed and turned to face him.

Link readied his sword, catching sight of Tetra, not knowing if she was asleep or dead. "What did you do to Zelda?"

"I have done nothing. She is not my prisoner," Ganondorf said in calm, measured tones. "It is the one who works against both of us who cast this spell."

Link scowled. "There's no such thing," he snapped. "My guide warned me not to listen to you."

Ganondorf's eyes lit up ever so slightly. "You mean the guide who sent you to me all but unarmed?"

"I don't want to hear any more from you." Link approached the bed, sword clenched in his hands, keeping his eyes on his adversary. "You're just trying to trick me. I'm taking Zelda back."

"You can do that." Ganondorf regarded him with an unblinking gaze. "You can take Tetra back to her pirate friends, your other friends back to their respective islands, and yourself back to your pathetic little rock to live out your days doing nothing of consequence. But," and here he drew his own swords, "you will have to defeat me first. I've worked too hard and too long, pulling from obscurity the land that is rightfully mine by conquest. You will learn your past, your heritage, and your purpose, even if I have to bash it into your head!"

He leaped forward with surprising speed, and with a flash of one arm nearly knocked the shield from Link's hand. Link retaliated by thrusting his sword low and deep into the warlord's robes, slicing his foot. They crossed swords, Link favoring his sword hand and Ganondorf favoring one leg. Unfortunately, while Link fought with true grit and purpose, Ganondorf merely wanted to knock him out; and kept getting the worst of it.

He blocked the boy, then unleashed a spell with a sweep of his arm. Link and the two Sages yelped as a bright flash of light blinded them, then rubbed their eyes in astonishment, for both Zelda and Ganondorf had disappeared. In their place stood an enormous shadow demon. "Stand back!" he shouted to Makar and Medli, who were all too eager to comply.

* * *

"_Wake up,"_ Ganondorf hissed anxiously to the girl who slept still as stone. He could sense Him here. He knew that the third party wanted him to produce the Triforce, likely so he could claim it to condemn Hyrule – and the dark secrets of his past – to oblivion. Of course the Third would be able to reach the Triforce first. He was a ghost. He could be anywhere he wanted at any time…

_There must be something else I can do…something neither of them is expecting…think, old man, think…!_

He stiffened as he heard a limping gait and hard breathing behind him, soft but clearly audible against the falling water that surrounded the circular balcony. He stood still, waiting for the boy to get near. As he heard the boy take a running leap, he whirled round and caught Link by the nape of the neck, slamming him face-first on the floor, and crushing his sword hand with his uninjured foot. Link yelped in pain as the Master Sword skittered across the balcony, and Ganondorf grasped both his adversaries' marked hands.

He unleashed the very last dregs of his magic power, to tear the sacred relic from all three. Above him, the golden Triforce reformed, back to its original state.

For one, very brief moment, he felt compelled to abandon his plan and reach for it himself, the old madness crying out with joy at the prospect of being fed once more. Conquest, supremacy, revenge, annihilation, all of these things dug barbs into his soul and pulled hard, bleeding his resolve. He heard glorious laughter in the back of his mind.

And then, in the next heartbeat, he pushed it away.

"Fly, boy!" he cried, picking Link up again and hurling him bodily at the relic. Link smacked into it and fell to the ground, as Tetra's eyes opened and she lifted her head. Makar and Medli ran to her side.

"You dead?" Ganondorf asked, bending over Link.

"I thing you broke my node," came the indignant reply. "What…what did you do that for?"

Tetra ran over to him. "Are you all right?"

He nodded, despite the bruising already appearing on his face.

"Link!" Everyone turned in surprise to see King Daphnes standing there. "Quick, before anything else happens…ask the Goddesses to drown the Evil One and sink the kingdom with him!"

"Wait…what?" Both Tetra and Link stared at him. "Sink Hyrule? But I thought we were supposed to save it!"

"It's too deeply polluted by Ganon's dark presence. Hurry! Before he makes his next move!"

Link turned to look at Ganondorf, who stood calmly with his hands behind his back. He flashed a knowing smile at the King. "I had a feeling you'd show up. Quite clever, forcing me to free the Triforce so that you could touch it first. Bet you didn't see _this_ coming."

Daphnes' face darkened. "I don't know what lies you're spinning now, but it doesn't matter. Link isn't stupid enough to listen to you."

Ganondorf ignored him. "I've known _who_ for quite a while now…there really is a very short list of suspects. But I'm still not completely sure about _why_ and _how_."

Tetra glanced back and forth between the two of them. "Are you…are you saying King Daphnes is the third party? But…that's impossible…"

"It's not even worth discussing. Link, hurry up," Daphnes urged. "You touched the Triforce. You have the power of the Goddesses at your fingertips!"

But Link didn't take his eyes off Ganondorf. "Why did you let _me_ touch it?" he demanded. "Why didn't you take it for yourself?"

Ganondorf nodded toward Daphnes. "Because I didn't want _him_ to have it. I didn't want him to destroy everything we've all worked for."

Frowning at Daphnes, Link asked, "Why would you want to sink Hyrule? Ganondorf's lost the Triforce of Power. Why not just restore it?"

Daphnes pointed accusingly at Ganondorf. "He didn't need any Triforce to kill the King before me! Why are you even considering any of this? I don't want to lose my country either, but for the good of all who have survived up till now, you have to eliminate all traces of those dark ages!"

"Funny," Ganondorf said with a trace of mirth, "as dark as they were for the Hylians, I remember Hyrule at least being in one piece. If you play the Requiem of History, you can see for yourselves what that age was like."

"Ha!" Daphnes could not keep the scorn out of his voice. "You fool. You _want_ them to witness your horrible deeds? Go ahead!"

"What's the Requiem of History?" Link demanded.

Tetra pulled out the Ocarina. "It's a spell that allows us to see into the past, to witness the tale of the Hero of Time."

He turned back to Ganondorf. "And you want us to see this _why?_"

"Have you not noticed that your peoples' history has been systematically destroyed?" The warlord's voice betrayed his irritation. "Do you think I enjoy my legacy being reduced to a passing reference to a dark shadow in old forgotten tales?"

Link frowned, glancing at Medli. "I do remember talking with Prince Komali about it…he didn't know the Rito were descended from the Zora…"

Medli approached him timidly. "Link…I don't like Ganondorf either, but I must confess…I want to know…I want to know who we are and where we come from."

"And I want to know who my ancestors were," Tetra pressed. "I want to see the real Princess Zelda."

"I want to know the rest of the tale!" Makar exclaimed. "We Koroks were only told the beginning."

Link mulled the possibilities over in his mind. He, too, wanted to follow the frayed strings that attached his island's customs to an ancient kingdom. Finally he looked up at Ganondorf. "What do I have to do?"

A soft, thankful expression passed across the man's dark, chiseled face. "All you need to do is to conduct in ¾ time. The Sages and Tetra will do the rest."

As Link raised the Wind Waker, Tetra brought the Ocarina to her lips and played a soft, brief, haunting melody that hung on the air like the smell of autumn leaves. After a few bars Medli struck her lute, bringing a flash of color to the stark tune. Makar drew his bow across the cello's strings and filled in the gaps left open by the other two. Link felt himself strangely lightheaded, as if the music itself were carrying him away to another place, another time.

The falling water around them shimmered, grew light, and then wavered into a scene of rolling fields and high mountains. With a start Link recognized Hyrule Castle, and watched as the vision swept him through its town and the very halls of the castle itself. The little group found itself in volcanic caverns occupied by huge rock-like people, a town in an impossibly green forest full of children wearing clothing similar to Link's, a vast sandy wasteland where flame-haired women demonstrated their skill on horseback, and a waterfall inside a cavern with scaly, sinuous inhabitants.

The scene switched back to the forest, where a small boy battled to lift a curse on his village's spiritual guardian; Link felt a strange shiver of anticipation upon realizing who he must be. Leaving his forest home, the boy journeyed to the castle, where he met a small girl in pink; Tetra made a small sound of surprise and awe when she saw her.

The boy made his way through several dangerous caverns searching for jewels the girl requested; but upon his return, the girl burst out of the castle gates, a tall man in black armor pursuing her. She tossed something to the boy; Link recognized it as the very same instrument Tetra now played.

The little group watched with rapt attention as the story unfolded, unable to tear their eyes from the scenes in front of them. Toward the end Link did sneak a few glances at Ganondorf, who merely watched with a pensive look on his face, his expression only hardening slightly upon watching his own downfall.

Tetra's eyes filled with tears as the scene faded and the falling water returned. "That was…so beautiful…"

Link felt his eyes tearing up as well. But not just from the scene he had watched. He had a strange sense of…nostalgia? Lost memory returned? _But how can that be possible?_

"It _was _beautiful." Daphnes stepped forward. "But that's gone now. The cause of its destruction stands before us."

He turned to Ganondorf, who smiled back at him as if withholding some secret joke. "Indeed, he does. Though it will never be the same, I have to disagree with you on the question of its destruction." He put a hand on Tetra's shoulder. "Do you feel the spirit of your ancestor awakening within you?"

Tetra nodded, and Link realized he felt the same, the soul of the Hero of Time suddenly aware inside his own mind.

"If you can feel your ancestors' spirits, they can reveal to you the events which never made it into the country's consciousness…events only they witnessed. With a modified version of the Requiem, as well as my own memories, we can finally reveal what has been hidden for centuries."

Daphnes shook his head, a strained look on his face. "Link, listen to me. You can't trust a single word this man says. I am your guide. I brought you this far. Ganon only seeks to thrust your mind further into the darkness. You can't restore the lost kingdom; it is gone forever."

Link considered this. Listening to anything Ganondorf said went against all instinct and reason. And yet…the Hero of Time, the person with the greatest motive to strike Ganondorf down, was asking him to listen…

_Hero of Winds._

_A thousand years ago, I was cruelly murdered._

_Let the Requiem add Wisdom to Courage, and give you the Power to return Hyrule to glory once more._

Link turned to Tetra; she nodded in answer to his unasked question. He focused his gaze on Ganondorf.

"Show me."


	9. The Spirits Speak, Part 1

_One thousand years earlier…_

Daphnes Nohasen sat in the newly built castle courtyard, the sounds of masons breaking huge granite slabs for the rebuilding of the castle echoing in the air. It was a clear, fair day, with a light breeze and the blooming flowers of early summer lightly perfuming the air with their scent; but Daphnes had other things on his mind. He tapped his foot impatiently, watching the guards make their rounds and systematically plucking apart one wildflower after another.

Finally he heard the sound of footfalls and jumped to his feet. But even before the person arrived, Daphnes knew it was not the one he had hoped to see. "Hello, Grandfather," he greeted Rauru.

Rauru's eyebrows disappeared into his snowy hair. "Don't sound so happy to see me," he said in jest.

Daphnes sighed. "I'm sorry…I was hoping the Princess might stop by."

Rauru clapped a hand on his shoulder. "I understand. But Zelda has many demands on her time, and as much as she would like to see you, she has other tasks she must complete first."

"Why can't I attend the Sages' meetings?" Daphnes demanded as they walked back to Rauru's home. "I'm going to take your place eventually, aren't I?"

"You still haven't mastered all the spells you must know to keep Ganon imprisoned, Daphnes. If you like we can work on them when we get home."

More than eager to continue his training, Daphnes insisted they begin almost after they entered the gate. Within Rauru's leafy estate, the Light Sage coaxed his grandson gently, never pressing him or scolding him as he strained to master the all-important spells.

"There, there…ease up a bit…you want to contain it, not crush it," Rauru instructed as Daphnes, beads of sweat glistening on his face, struggled to maintain a magical barrier around a rather complacent frog. The barrier fluctuated and wavered; Daphnes pressed a little too hard, and the frog croaked contemptuously as it broke free and hopped with a grumpy gait down the path.

Wiping his forehead in disgust, Daphnes panted, "I don't understand…the concept is simple enough, but I just can't seem to do it…"

Rauru frowned slightly at the young man's angry tone. "A heart darkened by shadow cannot maintain these spells. Are you still feeling resentful toward Zelda?"

"Maybe a little," Daphnes admitted.

"Well, we can't practice if you're going to feel this way. Go take a walk around town, cool off, and then when you come back we'll try again. Don't stay out too long; there is something important we need to discuss when you return."

Daphnes shuffled off. He felt eager for another try, but there could be no arguing with his grandfather. The only person who had managed to shout him down was the late King. Daphnes' mind lingered on that fateful day when Zelda had asked him to plead her case through Rauru, but it was to no avail.

Seven nightmarish years he had spent hidden away in Kakariko, with his grandfather manning the Spirit Temple and Zelda hiding in exile. Day after day he cursed himself for not having the courage to search for his betrothed. Every time he managed to journey more than a few yards away from the village entrance, hideous monsters and animated skeletons would pursue him and eventually drive him back. Neither the fields nor the mountain path were safe.

His cousin Armand, however, did not fear the monsters. Daphnes often begged him to search for Zelda, but Armand's intelligence did not match his bravery. Though he searched, he could not find her. One day, he left the village and did not return for nearly a month. The village had been ready to declare him dead when he appeared at the gates, quite shaken. He had been taken prisoner by the Gerudo, and escaped out of sheer luck; another young man had kept their attention by sneaking around the compound.

Soon afterward Daphnes met the young stranger for the first time. He walked casually into the village with such an air of self-confidence that Daphnes could not help but be drawn to him. The oddly-dressed individual – his clothing resembled Kokiri tunic for some reason – carried a Hylian shield once carried only by the long gone knights of the castle, as well as an impressive sword of a make that Daphnes had never seen before. As Daphnes crept closer to him, he realized that the stranger was no older than himself.

The stranger sat on the steps and rummaged through his knapsack; Daphnes saw a strange assortment of items appear and then disappear back into the knapsack. As he reached for a small round object, he noticed Daphnes and greeted him kindly, watching him from startlingly blue eyes. "It's rare to see someone my age around here. My name is Link. What's yours?"

"Daphnes Nohasen." He pulled himself up to his full height. "I'm the grandson of the Light Sage," he added, feeling a need to show some level of importance in the presence of this person.

Link nodded. "Yes, Rauru, I know him. You live around here, Daphnes?"

He shook his head. "Well, now I do. I used to live in the castle, but…"

"I understand." Link gave Daphnes a knowing glance. "Maybe soon, things will change, eh?"

Daphnes didn't comprehend this statement at first. He, as well as many others, believed themselves doomed to live in the shadow of the sorcerer king forever. It was not until they witnessed the fall of Ganon's tower that they realized the age of fear had ended. Daphnes felt proud to know personally the Hero that brought him down.

Link often mingled with the newly built castle town's inhabitants after the meetings with the sages, and Daphnes found himself unconsciously wandering around the Hero's haunts. He always felt better after speaking with Link; the Hero's self-confidence was contagious.

But when he found Link, he recoiled in disgust. Link stood chatting with one of the Sages, one whose presence Daphnes could not stand; Nabooru, the Gerudo.

_Filthy, half-human savages,_ he thought to himself, keeping his distance so neither could see his face. It was not until nearly a year after his return that Armand confided in him what had happened at the desert fortress. The thought disgusted him and he regarded the women as parasites, only able to survive by mating with other races when their disturbed kings perished. Such an existence was not natural, and had certainly not been brought into being by the Hylian Goddesses. The Gerudo were interlopers, after all, who had come to Hyrule from some distant country across the Wasteland.

_When I'm King_, he thought to himself, _I'll make sure not a single Gerudo remains in Hyrule._

When Nabooru finally turned and left, Daphnes approached Link, who gave him a broad smile. "Hello, Daphnes. It's been a long time since we've spoken."

The two clasped hands warmly. "Far too long. I have been studying hard by my grandfather's side." Daphnes nodded at Link. "And I'm sure you're busy as well, cleansing Hyrule of the stains of darkness that Ganon left behind." He tried to keep the loathing out of his voice, watching one of the 'stains' walk out the gates, her bright red hair and dark skin easy to single out.

If Link noticed, he didn't make any sign of it. "I have indeed. Ganon's influence reached far, but luckily most of it dissipated with his imprisonment." He smiled. "I'm sure you will master the arts of the Light Sage just as well as your father."

Daphnes returned the grin half-heartedly and changed the subject. "It is good to see Hyrule finally becoming stable again, eh? I will do all I can to ensure this era of peace remains during my future reign."

A brief shadow passed across Link's face. "Have you spoken with Zelda recently?"

_Goddesses, can this man read my mind?_ Sheepishly Daphnes shuffled his feet. "No, actually. She's been so busy, after all…"

Link clapped a hand on his shoulder. "I was just about to go speak with her. Surely she can't refuse to see both of us."

Daphnes laughed. "That's a good strategy."

The two walked up the pathway to the castle, chatting idly about inconsequential things. Suddenly Daphnes saw Rauru walking toward him. "Ah, Grandfather, Link's just had a brilliant idea to get an audience with the Princess. I'll stop by to continue training afterward, all right?"

Rauru frowned at both. "Did you tell him?" he asked Link, who shook his head.

"I thought it best if Zelda told him herself."

Daphnes' head swung back and forth between the two. "Told me what?"

Rauru placed his hand gently but firmly on Daphnes' shoulder. "I think this is something my grandson should hear from me."

"Of course." Link made a short bow to the Light Sage, then nodded to Daphnes just before he left. "I promised Saria I'd walk her home. I'll see you later."

* * *

_"What?"_

Rauru scowled at his grandson. "This is why I chose to reveal this information to you. I didn't want you making a scene in front of Her Highness."

"A _scene?_ Goddesses above, don't you think I have a right to be angry?"

"I still won't have you make a disgrace of yourself in front of the Princess. Like it or not, you are one of her subjects and will remain that way." Rauru spoke gently, firmly.

"How is this even_possible?_" Daphnes slammed his fist on the table to punctuate the last word. "Link isn't a member of the Royal Family! He's lived in the forest for most of his life! What does he know about ruling?"

"He is the Hero of Time. That much should be obvious to you." Rauru's face grew redder as his anger rose to the surface. "I don't see how the one who brought us out of darkness could be less qualified than yourself."

"But Zelda and I were betrothed at birth! We've always been the best of friends! She hardly even _knows_ him!"

Rauru shook his head. "She's known him since he appeared seven years ago in the castle courtyard, fulfilling the prophecy that she received from the Goddesses in her dreams. Then, when he returned after his seven-year sleep, she guided him in the guise of a Shekiah, helping him carry out his quest."

_"What?"_ Daphnes gripped his hair and pulled. "When did this happen?"

"I never mentioned it to you because of the threat that hung over our heads for many years. And in any case, there was no need for you to know until now. The Hero professed his devotion to the Princess and Hyrule in our meeting today, and we Sages decided that the two of them will take their place as our next leaders." He reached out to Daphnes, but Daphnes knocked his hand away.

"This is_ridiculous!"_ Daphnes couldn't find words to match his rage. The situation seemed too surreal. Just a moment ago he had been blissfully walking by the Hero's side, planning his rule as King, savoring the demise of the demon king. Now everything had been turned upside down. He pushed Rauru away and bolted out of the house, ignoring the old man's cries.

* * *

"I demand to see the Princess!" Daphnes roared in the impassive guard's face. "I demand to see her _now!_ I am the Sage of Light's grandson!"

"Her Highness has ordered us to leave her in peace," the guard said to him, in the exact same voice and tone as he had the five previous times.

"What's wrong with you?" Daphnes' voice echoed throughout the halls; several courtiers poked their heads out of doors with puzzled expressions on their faces, wanting to know what all the hubbub was about. "This is important, man! The future of Hyrule is resting on this!"

The second guard, on the other side of the door, frowned at Daphnes. "If you don't quiet down, boy, we'll have to take you downstairs."

"_Boy?_" He clenched his fists, ready to let fly. "How _dare_ you, you simple servant, address one of the nobles in such a…"

"Enough!" Zelda emerged from her chamber, eyes afire. She turned her sharp gaze on Daphnes. "This is not like you. Come inside and talk like a civilized person if you wish to speak with me."

Daphnes didn't like this, but followed her without a word. Once inside, he grasped Zelda's wrist. "Zelda, you don't have to do this if you don't want to. Just because the Sages think it is a good idea doesn't mean…"

She shook her hand free and looked him in the eyes. "Daphnes, I did not make this decision against my will."

He stared, open-mouthed in shock, then stuttered, "But…Zelda…you don't…I mean, what about _us?"_

Zelda looked away. "Much has changed in the past eight years, Daphnes. Hyrule has changed. I have changed. I spent seven years in exile, always on the edge of oblivion, always skirting Ganondorf's watchful gaze. There is no way I can describe what it felt like." She turned back to him. "I got to know Link quite well in the last few months of those seven years, and have become even closer to him in the past year as we have helped rebuild Hyrule together."

Daphnes made a face. "_How_ close?"

Her scowl matched his. "Don't be crude. That's not what I…"

"He's a friend of that filthy Gerudo!" Daphnes shouted. "She's probably already taken him and…"

"Hold your tongue!" Zelda stared at him as if seeing him for the first time. "Nabooru is a Sage, and as such, is your grandfather's _equal_ and your_superior_."

_"Superior?"_ He snarled. "Those nasty desert-grubs, fouling our Spirit Temple with their false snake goddess…"

Zelda held up her hand, her face deeply clouded. "Obviously you have not learned from my father's mistakes. If he had not instigated the Fierce War…"

"What does the Fierce War have to do with it? Ganondorf was the type of person who would have taken the Triforce from us even in an era of peace."

"He would not have had so many followers if my father had not given them a reason to hate us."

"He was their King! They followed him out of loyalty!"

"Nabooru did not serve him. She fought against him. And that, as well as her role as the Spirit Temple guardian, is what brought the Goddesses to awaken her as a Sage."

Daphnes frowned, blocked. He tried a different route. "But Zelda, Link doesn't know a thing about politics or maintaining a country. He's a warrior. He's a phenomenal warrior…but he's not a ruler."

"And what do you think I'll be doing all this time?" She gave Daphnes a hard look. "Sitting in my chamber? Is that what you would force me to do if you were King?"

He shook his head, stuttering. "No, no…of course not…"

"Why do you doubt Link's intelligence and valor?"

"I don't, I…" Suddenly his mind snapped, and he found himself in the middle of a discussion he'd never intended to begin. "Zelda, I tried to find you, I really did…but I couldn't…there were too many monsters, too much darkness…" He felt tears sting his eyes and bitterly cursed himself for this double weakness. "It didn't mean I loved you any less! I tried and tried…but it wasn't enough…"

She regarded him with a strange expression on her face. Was it pity? _I don't want your pity, Zelda. I deserve so much more…_

Without a word, he turned and ran from the room.

* * *

Daphnes wiped the tears from his eyes as he walked purposefully toward the Lost Woods. Link was a fair man. Perhaps he didn't know Daphnes had been promised Zelda's hand since birth. He probably didn't know how close they were, or Daphnes' role in trying to convince the King that Ganondorf was dangerous. Surely, when Daphnes pointed out all the complexities of being King, all the training and educated Link had never received, the Hero of Time would reconsider his proposal.

The Lost Woods turned lost children into Skullkids and adults into Stalfos, but the magic of this place held no danger to a grandson of a Sage. Daphnes wandered through the forest, at times calling out both Link's and Saria's names.

Suddenly, he heard a familiar tune. It was a lullaby that he had heard Impa sing to Zelda when they were both very young. He knew it to be a kind of code, given only to members of the Royal Family as well as trusted vassals like Darunia. Who in this forest could know this song?

Following the haunting sound, he came upon Link sitting on a tree stump in a small glade, playing an Ocarina. Daphnes' blood boiled. _So, the warrior knows this secret too? Master Sword, Ocarina of Time, Triforce of Courage…why have the Goddesses granted all these things to __**him**__? Why, if I had a Triforce of Courage, I could have helped Zelda too…anyone could, if granted the power of the gods!_

The tune died down. Saria smiled and left. Daphnes approached Link. "So, you must think you're the Goddesses' gift to Hyrule, eh?"

Link's smile of greeting faded, replaced by a puzzled expression. "I don't know what you mean, Daphnes. I assume you've heard about the Sages' meeting, but I…"

Daphnes sneered in his face. "Anyone could have done what you did, with the power of the Goddesses to help them. You had a piece, Zelda had a piece…it was two against one. Of course Ganondorf fell."

"I don't think it's as simple as you…"

"That piece should have gone to _me!_" Daphnes snapped. "I was next in line for the throne! I have royal blood! Why would the Goddesses choose _you_, some orphan fairy-boy who lived in a tree stump?"

If Link felt insulted by this, he didn't show it. "I do not pretend to be able to perceive the Goddesses' minds."

Daphnes snorted. "Spoken like a true Hero!" His face twisted in mockery. "Admit it, you're using your position to get at Zelda and take the throne!"

Link's face darkened. "I'm sorry, Daphnes, but maybe we should speak about this some other time. You're understandably angry, and I don't think anything I say now will help you." He turned to leave.

Daphnes drew his sword and swiped at him. "Don't you turn your back on me!"

In that one brief moment, the entire world changed.

No foe could bring down the Hero of Time. But Link had never expected an attack from a friend.

Daphnes did not intend to inflict any grave wounds on the Hero; he only wished to deliver some minor cut, some brief strike to give him a taste of the pain he himself felt. But his rage possessed him, and his slash went wide.

Both stared at each other in shock and horror as blood from the Hero's neck struck Daphnes across the face and chest. Before he could even comprehend what had happened, Link fell to the ground, dead.

Daphnes stared at his motionless body on the ground, frozen, his mind completely shattered. Somehow, he thought time itself would stay still if he himself did not move. He stood in silence, willing Time to turn itself backwards.

A small gasp jerked him out of his trance, and he looked up to see Saria standing there, her face a picture of terror. She bent down to pick up something on the ground, then ran off.

_Witness._

_ If a Hero falls in the forest and nobody knows, is he really dead?_

_ She's a witness. You can't let her tell anyone._

Daphnes pursued her. He heard her shout out plaintitive cries, pleadings not to hurt her, begging him to tell her why he did what he did. He did not listen. She was an anomaly, an unnatural and unwanted force that would bring his whole world, his whole existence crashing down. Her cries for mercy did not reach his ears as he cut her again and again.

Streaming blood, she stumbled into the Kokiri village. Daphnes could not follow. He turned and ran back to where the Hero lay, never noticing the small round object hidden in the grass where Saria had dropped it.

* * *

Mido gently carried the semiconscious Saria in his arms as he ran to the sprout of the Deku Tree, his face set in a grim expression as the others clambered around them with shrill, hysterical voices.

Setting her down in front of the Deku Sprout, Mido asked softly, "Is there anything you can do?"

The Deku Sprout frowned deeply. "I'm sorry…she is too gravely injured. Even if I were at my full strength there would be nothing I could do…"

Mido gently stroked Saria's hair, his voice breaking as he spoke. "Saria…who did this to you?"

Her eyes fluttered, and she struggled to speak. "It was…it was…he's gone, he will return…Mido, you must warn…" With a great effort, she fought to say more, but choked on her own breath. With a soft sigh of resignation, Saria fell still and died.

* * *

Daphnes hauled the corpse over his shoulder and walked unsteadily toward the Forest Temple. Nobody ever went in there, other than the Hero himself; but he would have to figure out a better hiding place later on.

Something fell from the Hero's hand. Startled, Daphnes caught sight of a small triangle of gold lying there on the ground. Its host dead, the Triforce of Courage had materialized outside his body. Daphnes picked it up.

It lay in his hand without any sign of its power. _Of course,_ Daphnes thought bitterly to himself. _The Triforce of Courage will not bond to a coward who killed the Hero and a Sage._

Suddenly an even more horrible thought lanced through his brain. One of the keepers of the seal on Ganon was dead. The Evil One could return…

Daphnes hid both in a dark corner of the Forest Temple. He would need to find a better hiding place for the Triforce later, somewhere that the Dark One would never find it.

Perhaps that would be some small penance for the crime he still needed to conceal…

* * *

After washing off as much of the blood as he could in a small spring in the Lost Woods, he retraced his steps back to Hyrule Castle, determined not to speak a word about what had happened. He expected the entire country to be in pandemonium. And yet, people walked about the town and the castle as if nothing had happened, as if Daphnes were _not_ a murderer, as if Link's body did _not_ sit among the nameless bones inside the Forest Temple. It made it so much easier for him to imagine that it never happened.

But as he walked home, one of the palace messengers approached him. "Daphnes Nohasen, the Princess has asked for you to see her."

His heart sank. He would have preferred execution on the spot rather than confronting Zelda about what he had done. But there was nothing he could do.

He arrived to find her in her chambers, ill in bed, with Impa at her side. Rauru stood next to Impa. "Daphnes?" she said weakly. "I'm so glad you're all right…something terrible has happened…one of the Sages has been killed."

A slight glimmer of hope returned to him. "Which one? How do you know?"

"Saria…I could feel it…I could feel terror, and pain…Daphnes, I've tried to call Link to me, but for some reason he won't answer. I've asked the other Sages to look for him as well. Daphnes, you are his friend, and we will need the Hero of Time if the seal on Ganon weakens and breaks. Please, will you look for him?"

Daphnes took her hand, and licked his lips; Zelda could sense some kind of internal struggle within him, but her mind was too clouded to perceive what it meant.

He could feel the eyes of all three on him. He opened his mouth, and closed it again, two sides of him fighting against each other. Finally, the coward, the weakling, the one he so fully loathed, won out. "Of course. I'll leave right away."


	10. The Spirits Speak, Part 2

The Sages, Daphnes, and Zelda sat around the table, the small golden triangle placed reverently in the middle. With eyes closed and hands folded, Zelda appeared to be deep in thought. The others looked at her and each other, wondering what to do with this treasure Daphnes had found.

Finally Zelda opened her eyes. "I cannot think of any reason why Link would leave this behind, unless he passed over Hyrule's border, or was forced to do so against his will. Since the only great power I can think of that could separate him from the Goddesses' gift is still locked away, I can only assume that for some reason he decided to abscond from his country and his duty." For a moment her mask fell away and revealed an expression of intense sorrow. "Given his words just before his disappearance, I cannot understand what has brought him to this decision."

Darunia shifted in his chair. "I cannot think of anything that would pull my Brother from us either, but for now, we must figure out what to do with this thing."

Impa nodded. "Exposed as it is, it likely calls to Ganon, and we are missing our Forest Sage until the Deku Tree sends us a replacement."

"I believe each of us should take a fragment," Rauru suggested, "and hide it somewhere in the land; then if he Hero should return, he will be able to regain his power."

Zelda took the sacred relic in her hands, and with a short burst of concentration, the Triforce of Courage cracked and fell apart. Each person present took a shard. Zelda noticed a swift look of anger pass across Daphnes' face as Nabooru picked up her shard.

Rauru pulled out a roll of parchment. "I want each person to show Impa the general location, where she will mark it with Shekiah signs. That way, if we must wait for another Hero, he at least will have a bit of guidance."

Zelda turned from the group as they filed out the door. _Another Hero…_

Her chambers were dim in the twilight, but that was what she wanted. She kneeled in prayer in front of the small statue of Naryu, hoping the Goddess of Wisdom would grant her the knowledge she had been denied so many times before.

She cast her mind over Hyrule's fields, through the dark forests and over the steep mountains. But at the borders she had to stop, for the Triforce had no power outside the land of its creation. She probed dark caves and forgotten corners, hunting for even the faintest sign of life, the tiniest hint of his presence.

Of course she knew the task to be near impossible if he no longer possessed his piece. Yet she strained her mind, body, and soul, willing herself to find him. _He couldn't have left us in this time of need… he wouldn't have left us without at least saying good-bye…_

Nothing. As always.

The terrific strain proved too much for her and she gave into the emotion she had been holding back for weeks, and burst into tears. Her closest friend, one with whom her destiny was intertwined, was missing. She felt as if she had lost a part of herself.

She heard a knock at the door, and dried her eyes as she stepped forward to answer it. Daphnes stood there, his face falling as he saw her reddened eyes. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intrude," he said.

"It's all right." She motioned for him to come inside. "This has been a difficult time for all of us, and I can't pretend that it hasn't shown on me as well."

Daphnes smiled, trying to be cheerful. "That was a really good idea of my grandfather's, I think. I doubt Ganon could sense the Triforce when it's split apart like that."

"There is a problem," Zelda said softly. "I did not want to object, for I can see no other way. But while it is broken, Farore's power is weakened. We will see more famine in the months ahead, for all things that live upon this earth are her domain."

Daphnes put a hand on her shoulder. "We'll make it through. I have faith in you."

She smiled thinly. "Thank you, Daphnes. I hope in the months and years ahead I can do justice to your faith."

"Well, whatever happens regarding Ganon, we'll face it together, right? And we'll have all the Sages by our side to help us." He put his arms around her. "I won't let you go through the same torture you endured before. I may have failed you the first time, but now I'm here to stay." He touched a lock of hair over her face and looked her in the eyes. "Ganon will never regain control of Hyrule. I promise you."

* * *

Five years later, it was not Ganon that troubled her so much as Daphnes' crusade against anything that could possibly bring him back. Though he was now King, most of the country viewed their Queen as their true leader. Yet Zelda found herself preoccupied with dousing the fires of fear Daphnes stoked among his subjects, the man following far too closely in her father's footsteps.

She stormed into Daphnes' study, four-year-old Kyan in tow. He looked up in irritation from his book at the anger on her face. "What is it now?" he demanded.

"Stop harassing the Gerudo," she snapped, uncharacteristically direct. "I won't have you causing problems behind my back."

"I don't know what you're talking about." He turned back to his book.

She snatched it out of his hands. "I had Impa track down those mercenaries that attacked the three Gerudo who came to the castle town last week. They had connections to the Hylian Deluge. I found a decree – with _your_ name on it – repealing the ban on that group!"

Daphnes scowled at her, then shot a disapproving look at Kyan clutching her skirts. "Perhaps we shouldn't discuss this in front of our son."

"Kyan will know what type of person his father is!"

"Is that so?" Daphnes stood up sharply, his face twisted in anger. "What type of mother are you, always wishing that his father was another man? Link is gone, Zelda. For whatever reason, he abandoned Hyrule and he abandoned you. When are you finally going to see the truth?"

Her fiery ire turned to ice. "How _dare_ you insinuate that-"

"Do you see him here?" Daphnes waved his arm in a wide arc. "If he cared at all about Hyrule, or about you, he wouldn't have been absent for the past five years!"

Zelda's eyes narrowed, and her voice dropped to a deadly tone. "This is irrelevant. The Hylian Deluge is an illegal organization, and I'm putting a stop to it."

His tone matched her own. "It's the Gerudo you should be stopping, Zelda. When will you realize that they never stopped serving their exiled king? Treason is in their blood. They won't rest until they've taken Hyrule for themselves and polluted it beyond recognition."

Zelda stiffened and brought herself up to her full height. "_I_ am Hyrule's guardian," she hissed. "If you talk of treason, remember that." She turned on her heel and stalked out the door, Kyan following behind.

* * *

Malik, Daphnes' lieutenant, shook his head after taking another pull at his ale. "So you haven't seen the inside of her chambers for a year since then, eh? Strange that Her Highness would get so uppity over those damned desert rats."

Daphnes pushed his tankard away. Kings didn't normally drink in the town inn, but it was an open secret that his role had been more or less eviscerated to the point of being little more than a figurehead. "Blast it all. Her and those idiot Sages…"

Malik drained the last of his drink. "Speaking of which, Princess Ruto should be arriving soon. I've got to escort her and her entourage to the castle."

"I'll come with you."

Frowning at him, Malik asked, "Are you sure?"

He laughed, a short, hollow laugh. "What else have I got to do?"

They found the Zora guards standing outside the Temple of Time. They entered its sacred walls to see Ruto standing at the altar, gazing at the stone that had once been held in trust by her mother. She stiffened, then turned around with a quizzical expression on her face. When her eyes met Daphnes', they widened in horror and she took a hurried step back. "No…it cannot be…!"

Malik frowned in puzzlement. "Is something wrong, Princess?"

She raised her arm and pointed a shaking finger at Daphnes. "You…it was _you!_ The scent of Link's blood…_you killed him!_"

"Wh…what?" Malik stood frozen in consternation, hearing the ring of Daphnes' sword as he stepped toward the Zora Princess. He snapped out of it as the Zora guards rushed forward to protect their leader. _I don't know what's going on, but I can't let them hurt the King…_

He fought only to disarm the guards, unable to see what Daphnes did behind him. They attacked relentlessly, furiously, trying with all their might to get at the Hylian King. Suddenly Malik realized that Daphnes fought beside him, driving his weapon into the guards.

With a dark premonition, Malik turned around and stared in horror at the still form of the Zora Princess lying on the floor, her blood spilled by murder, defiling the holy temple.

He turned slowly to see Daphnes sheath his sword, the Zora host all dead. "My Lord…what have you done?"

Daphnes stared at him with eyes devoid of any kind of emotion. "Malik. You will not mention what transpired here. Poisoned lies have been finding their way into my subjects' ears, one being that I killed the Hero. These are false words spread by Ganon himself. Anyone who speaks them commits the worst kind of treason. Do you understand?"

Malik paled and nodded. "I understand, Your Highness." _On both levels…_

* * *

Still weak from the shock she had received at Ruto's death, Zelda nonetheless presented the ornate box at the emergency meeting of the Sages. Opening it, she drew out a thin, carved wand made of ivory. "This is the Wind Waker. It is a conductor's baton that can call on the power of the gods. It can be used alone, but its power increases exponentially when the Sages play certain tunes conducted by its user."

"Why haven't we known of this until now?" Darunia demanded.

"It is extremely difficult to control," Zelda explained. "The last time it was used, ages ago, a great tornado destroyed half the castle. However, now that the seal on Ganon has been broken, we will need a weapon of great strength to use against him. It is only a matter of time until he emerges."

Nabooru smiled. "So that's why you had us all bring instruments." She patted her drum. "Seemed like an awfully strange request, but it makes sense now. Good thing we're all musically inclined, eh?"

The rest of the Sages chuckled their agreement, happy to have a bit of a joke in such dire times. Only Daphnes frowned.

"We must not waste any time." She grasped the Wind Waker and motioned for the others to follow.

Daphnes pushed past Nabooru at the door. By this time his rudeness was so commonplace that she just chose to ignore it. However, as he passed by her, she noticed something on the back of his cape.

Tiny, tiny dots that would be imperceptible if his cape hadn't nearly slapped her in the face. Blood spatter, in the dark blue that could only come from a Zora. He had stated that he had found Princess Ruto dead in the Temple and had attempted to revive her. So it was natural that the front of his clothing would have a smear here or there.

But as a seasoned warrior, Nabooru knew there could be only one way for tiny spots of blood to get on a person's back; if the person stained had been wielding the weapon, and as such had thrown it backward over his head after pulling the blade from the body.

As the Sages hurried to the Temple, Nabooru hung to the back of the group, watching Daphnes. _I've got to tell Zelda what I've found…but he's too close to her right now…_

Just before he passed through the door, Nabooru pulled him back. He glared at her. "What do _you_ want?"

Her eyes narrowed. "I want to know how you got blood on your _back_."

"Idiot. I don't see what…"

"It was you, wasn't it?" She drew her scimitar. "I don't know how you got Link, but you must be some special kind of coward to kill a couple of defenseless Sages."

He backed away from her sword, unable to draw his own. "How did you…."

A deep, resonant rumbling cut him off. Whether it came from below or above, they could not tell. It seemed to warp the air around them, threatening to crack the very fabric of being. They felt the Temple strain in front of them, then finally give way to the colossal force that threw itself against its bonds within.

Sharp cracks rent the air and deep crisscross fissures split the Temple's walls. With a final sigh of resignation, it gave way to a deafening explosion as the Sages inside scattered out the door.

Glancing behind him, Daphnes could see a monstrous dark form surface from the ruins, an ear-shattering roar piercing the air as Ganon emerged from his prison. The people of the town fled for the fields and the castle as the nightmarish monster headed not toward Zelda, but the Lost Woods.

Daphnes could see Nabooru running ahead of him, cut off from the other sages who herded Zelda toward the castle. He shouted to a set of guards staring at the vision of the Apocalypse sauntering down the square. "Guards! Seize the Gerudo! She released him from his containment!"

Nabooru stared, wide-eyed, at his statement and its insane folly; but it did not matter. The guards would have set upon a damp rag if Daphnes insisted it had unleashed the Evil One upon them. She fought briefly, trying to rejoin the other Sages, then realized she was outnumbered and sped pell-mell toward the fields.

* * *

Zelda hefted the Master Sword and thrust it into the plinth, deep in the basement of the castle as the Sages and refugees stood by. Daphnes had handed it over along with the Triforce of Courage, but she had not attempted to use this shielding spell until now. She could not be completely sure it would work, and there was a possibility it could backfire and draw Ganon toward them instead.

She concentrated her will on the sword, the Triforce of Wisdom glowing brightly on the back of her hand. She could feel a bubble of protection expand from her out to the far reaches of the castle, where Hyrule's refugees huddled in fear.

Straining hard, she pressed the bubble further, attempting to draw in Ganon's connection to his Triforce and pin it under the blade. She momentarily lost control and the magic surged through her body, the lancing pain driving her to her knees.

Rauru put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't strain too hard. You'll injure yourself."

She drew a shaking hand across her temple. "I don't know what to do…I am too weak to use the Wind Waker, and Ganon can still walk free over Hyrule…"

Daphnes took the baton from her. "Leave it to me, Zelda. I'll make sure Ganon is buried for all eternity."

* * *

Wounded and exhausted, Nabooru stumbled through the fields, in what amounted to a horrible game of blindman's bluff with the guards set to spring upon her whenever she moved from one hiding place to the next. In four hours she had only managed to get halfway through Hyrule Field, the only thing pressing her on being the driving need to warn her sisters of what had happened.

"Here, here!" One of guards took up the cry like a baying hound upon sighting her. She half ran, half limped away as the guards closed in like a net.

Suddenly an angry roar blew the leaves from the trees of the Lost Woods, its birds screaming as they fluttered through the air. The immense piglike form of Ganon emerged, sending the guards sprinting back the way they came as the ground shook beneath its feet. Even the quickest among them could not escape him, and fell either pierced or trampled.

Nabooru ran as well, but Ganon did not attack her. The monster blocked her way, then leaned down and glared at her with red, maddened eyes. **"Where is the one who killed the Hero?"** he growled, his words mangled by lips unsuited for human speech.

Nabooru's mind raced to comprehend several impossibilities at once. "How…how do _you _know he was killed?"

"**It matters not. I wish to find the one who did what I could not. Where is he!"**

Nabooru pointed a shaking finger at the castle. He raised his head and followed her motion, then opened his mouth to say something. At that moment a dazzling claw of lightning sped across the sky, and a deafening peal of thunder followed. Both flinched as water struck them hard; Ganon raised his head and roared in consternation at the deluge that had appeared out of nowhere.

* * *

"She's here!" The guards dragged the new Zora Sage, who had come as quickly as she could after Ruto's death. Covered in dust, she had swum into the castle through the sluice gates as Ganon thundered out to the woods, and ran all the way through the town to the castle.

Daphnes motioned her into the small side room where the other Sages waited, his eyes alight. _Finally, finally I can put right what once went wrong._ As they hurriedly took up their instruments, Impa shouted, "Wait a moment. We're still missing Nabooru!"

"We don't have time to wait for her!" Daphnes snapped. "For all we know, she's dead. Now concentrate!"

They raised their instruments and he began to conduct, a weird and wonderful bouncing tune known as the Song of Storms. He poured every fiber of his being into the spell, grinning madly as he prayed to the Goddesses. _Drown him. Drown Ganon, drown the Gerudo! Cleanse their presence from this land! Wash their memory from our country forever!_

_Cleanse me of the sin I myself have committed._

* * *

The rain fell at an impossible rate. Nabooru splashed her way toward the Gerudo compound as Ganon howled behind her. Suddenly he began to follow her. **"You will help me find the Hero's Bane."**

"Are you out of your mind?!" All fear had completely left her at this point, as the whole world had gone mad. "Go find him yourself! _I'm_ going back home to evacuate our people before the desert floods and finishes off what's left of them!"

He roared in fury at her defiance and brought his hand down in front of her, blocking her path. **"I am your King. You will do as I say!"**

"Old fool!" She swiped at him with her scimitar. "If you are our King, start acting like it! I've lost patience with you and your damned Triforce. We don't have time for this! You've seen what even a small flood does!" She gestured wildly to the rain thundering down all around them. "If you're any King at all, you'll actually _help_ your own people, rather than continuing your fool's travails!"

He screeched in fury at her words, ready to crush her with one blow of his fist.

And yet, he could not ignore the rain. It pummeled him, hissed in his ears, dragged at his feet.

He glanced back at the castle, Zelda's Triforce calling to him. He could feel the third piece as well, though it felt strangely muted. With the Hero gone, nothing could stand in his way of finally taking dominion over the land he had craved so deeply, for so long.

He turned back to Nabooru, who was already running back toward the compound. She yelped as he grasped her, gently but firmly, and carried her as he thundered down the path toward the Gerudo Desert. The Triforce could wait.

* * *

"What is going on?" Zelda burst into the Sages' room, her unkempt hair flying around her pale face. "The entire kingdom is flooding!"

Daphnes stopped short, his little orchestra dissolving into chaos. "What?"

They all ran to the nearest window. Through the little they could see in the rain, they could see that the castle courtyard already held a good foot of water. Daphnes ran his hand over his face. "I don't understand…it was only supposed to flood the Gerudo Desert…"

She turned on him. "You fool! Do you realize what you've done? You've doomed us all!"

Darunia threw down the horn he had been playing. "I must go," he said, already hurrying out the door. "I must see to my people. They cannot swim!"

Impa followed him. "The people of Kakariko must be on their rooftops by now. I must help them evacuate."

"Wait, wait!" Daphnes called after them. "I need you to reverse the spell!"

"Idiot!" Zelda shouted. "There is no calling back this power! I warned you of the Wind Waker's consequences!"

"What should we do?" Rauru asked softly.

"Send out search parties and evacuate everyone you can find to the tops of the mountains. Hurry! Or all of Hyrule will perish!"

* * *

Normally, the ditch where the dam the Gerudo had built ages ago was dry as a bone. In the worst floods, it had come up halfway to the dam's top. Now the flowing, churning water threatened to blow the dam apart.

**"Bring our people to higher ground!"** Ganon strained against the dam as Nabooru sprinted off toward the fortress. He hurled his massive bulk against the stones, but they threatened to crumble around him. Nearly as tall as he was, and backed by an incomprehensible amount of water, it began to push against him.

Hearing the structure cracking under the strain, he dug his claws into the sides as well as the bottom of the ditch. The dam crumbled and the water spewed forth, striking him with incredible force. He held the water back for the most part, some of it escaping underneath and to the side, until the water ate away his grip and carried him off.

Nabooru herded the shrieking, fearful Gerudo to the top of the compound. The desert warriors feared little, but none could swim, and even a Zora could be bashed to bits against the forces of the rushing waves. It might as well have been waves of acid that pummeled their adobe homes, for it ate the buildings as if possessed by demonic hunger.

Suddenly she heard shouts of mixed joy and fear, and turned to see someone clutching at a piece of floating debris haul himself as well as two others onto a set of buildings on the other side of a flowing torrent. The women exploded into confusion as they recognized their leader, now human and still clad in his old battle-armor, unsure whether this was an omen of deliverance or destruction.

He moved toward Nabooru but hesitated; there was no way to cross the rushing water between them, and he had exhausted all his magic power. Nabooru motioned toward the rock cliffs behind him. "Try to get up that way!" she shouted in the thundering rain. "I'll meet you at the top of the mountains!"

He gave her a short wave to indicate that he understood. Taking the woman and child in his arms, he began climbing the steep cliff.

* * *

Zelda's heart beat hard against her chest as she ran down to the basement of the castle. Water had begun to flow in through broken windows, but the Master Sword and the stained-glass portraits of the Sages remained untouched.

A dark shadow had formed over her heart ever since Link's disappearance. A simple answer to the question had presented itself many times in the years since, but she had always pushed it away, even though she knew it came from the mark she bore on her hand.

She could not bear to let such a possibility enter her mind. But now, with the entire world in ruins, she could no longer pretend not to see what was there in front of her.

Kneeling in front of the sword, she issued a passionate plea to the Goddesses, imploring them to save her people, her world.

To her great surprise, she felt a strange shift in the air, as if attempting to accommodate a massive force. One moment she was alone, and in the next, Naryu stood in front of her. The Goddess looked down upon her with hard black eyes that matched her hair and contrasted sharply with the deep blue of her robes. _"My Child,"_ the Goddess spoke, her words as smooth as water and the passage of time. _"Why do you beg this boon of me?"_

Taken aback, Zelda stuttered, "Great Goddess, I do not understand…do you wish to destroy your own creation?"

_"I have done nothing, Child. It is your husband who called upon our power to destroy his own home. Appeal to him."_

"But…he cannot reverse what he has done…"

Naryu frowned down at her. _"My Child, we exist neither to help nor harm you. We merely Are. We created the Triforce as a way of balancing the elements of this world. If you wish to undo your husband's actions…all of them…you must offer up an equal sacrifice."_

The air shifted again, and Din appeared next to Naryu, clad in golden brown with flaming red hair. She turned her fierce eyes on Zelda. _"When my Child interrupted the balance of the Triforce, it split into three in order to seek out two others that would hold him in check. When your husband killed Farore's Child, it pushed Hyrule into a cycle of chaos."_

Zelda bowed her head, tears in her eyes as she heard the damning confirmation that she had kept from her heart for so long. But as Farore appeared, garbed in forest green, her flinty gaze held no pity.

_"My Child has been cut down before his time,"_ she snarled in a voice that froze Zelda's blood. _"He was a gift to you, the Hero that would keep the balance of the Triforce even in its fragmented state. To even begin to atone for your crime, forsaking Wisdom in the face of truth, then you must sacrifice your own life!"_

Zelda kneeled and bent her head down to the ground. "I will give whatever is necessary in order to set Hyrule right again."

_"It is still not that simple,"_ Naryu told her. _"We cannot just evaporate the rain that even now eats at the land and permanently alters it. I cannot say when the time will be right for us to restore your soul as well as the Hero's, in order to set things right again. It may be a year…or a hundred…or a thousand."_

Farore frowned at her sister. "_Does your Child even have the Courage to see her mission through to the end?"_

Din smiled. _"Why not ask the one who knows her best?"_

Zelda lifted her head from the floor, her eyes widening as someone appeared from behind Farore. Her breath caught in her throat as the ghostly spirit, transparent and yet perfectly recognizable, cast upon her his familiar compassionate gaze. "Link…?"

_"I believe in her,"_ the spirit said.

_"Very well,"_ Farore grumbled. _"We will seal Hyrule under water, until the time is right for the Three to be set into motion once again."_

Link's ghost stepped toward Zelda and offered his hand, a soft, sad smile on his lips. _"Come with me…and we will try once more to fulfill Hyrule's destiny, together."_

Zelda hesitated just for a moment, then stretched out her own hand, tears in her eyes. They clasped hands for just a moment, and then a soft sigh escaped Zelda's lips as her spirit departed her body and left it lying next to the sword.

A great burst of magical energy exploded forth from Zelda, touching nothing but the water, pushing it back and up until Hyrule lay still and dry under its protective shield.

* * *

Completely soaked, Daphnes ran down the basement steps. "Zelda! You had better be down here, I've looked everywhere else…"

He stopped dead in his tracks as he saw her lying there, motionless. Sprinting to her side, he fell to his knees, pressing his hand against her face to search for any sign of life. She laid still and cold, the Triforce of Wisdom next to her hand.

He picked up the golden triangle, staring at it with bitter eyes. Hurling it to the ground, it broke into two pieces as he howled in pain and rage.


	11. Final Sacrifice

Link's arms trembled, his hands balled tightly into fists as he forced himself to raise his head and face the ghost that stood before him. "You wanted to kill me," he muttered thickly in a voice full of hatred, born of betrayal. "Not just the Hero of Time, but me as well. That's why you sent me to Ganondorf unarmed. You knew the Master Sword wasn't at full power…I bet you even split its power between the Sages years later. You were hoping Ganondorf would finish me off without asking questions."

The old warlord cast a grave, calculating glance at Daphnes. "I must admit, you had me going for a while with this one."

"_This one?_" Tetra exclaimed in a shrill voice that rose several octaves. "How many other would-be Heroes have you killed?"

Daphnes frowned at her. "I didn't kill them; the Tower of the Gods did. Obviously those others weren't fit for the title of Hero."

Link shivered at the King's casual tone. All that time, when the two of them had been traveling together…talking, seeking out treasure, trying to find all those magic relics to stop Ganon…Daphnes wanted him dead. And when that didn't happen, he tried to get Link to destroy Hyrule for him.

"You were the one who erased our history!" Medli took a trembling step forward. "How could we seek out the Zora Sage if we didn't know what a Zora was?"

"All this time we had no idea why Saria died!" Makar squeaked angrily. "She was trying to warn someone about the Hero of Time! She wanted to make sure you didn't get that Ocarina!"

Daphnes' face remained strangely impassive. "Fools, all of you," he said in a soft voice. "Don't you see, none of this would have happened if it wasn't for _him_." He thrust an accusing finger at Ganondorf. "Have you forgotten the crimes _he_ committed? He killed many innocent people, including the King of that time! He would have killed the Hero of Time, but he did not succeed." His face twisted into a deranged grin. "You should be _thanking_ me for getting rid of those filthy, thieving Gerudo."

Turning to Ganondorf, he shouted, "How does it feel to be the last of your race? You don't belong here any more than I do, just a relic of a forgotten age." He smiled as the old warlord's face twisted in rage. "Well, if you miss them so much, go join them!"

Before anyone could react, Daphnes summoned a ball of energy in one hand and threw it at Ganondorf. It hit him and blazed blue-white, crackling and sparking as he bellowed in pain. As he fell to the ground, Link exclaimed, "But how…? He's a ghost!"

Tetra snatched up Link's bow and Light Arrows, aiming one at Daphnes. "He's using his own spiritual energy. It'll drain him if he does it too much!"

Daphnes sneered at her. "Not bad considering you no longer have the Triforce of Wisdom. And since Ganondorf lost his piece, he is mortal once more." He smirked at the prone form on the ground. "I would give him the farewell he deserves, but I am bereft of spit."

"What Ganondorf did doesn't excuse you from your own crimes," Tetra snapped, and loosed her arrow. Daphnes disappeared and reappeared in the blink of an eye.

_Blast it all_, Link thought feverently. _How do we defeat a ghost?_

Daphnes summoned another ball of light and threw it at Tetra. Link jumped in front of her and raised his shield; the ball glanced off and disappeared into the falling water. Medli and Makar ran off the platform into the other room, shrieking.

Tetra fired another Light Arrow. It hit his outstretched hand and he yelped in pain, but summoned another light ball. "Those arrows can only deliver a small fraction of the power that I hold in my own spiritual energy!"

Link and Tetra dodged him, hoping to force him to waste his energy. But he caught on far too quickly. Snarling, he snapped at Link, "Now we finally end this. Once you are dead, the Triforce is open to receive another wish."

He launched himself forward and grasped Link's tunic, with the energy flowing from his body rather than from his hands. Tetra fired a series of arrows at him; he caught one in his hand and threw it back, piercing her arm. As she dropped the bow, Daphnes raised one hand, the other holding the struggling Link. A blue-white ball appeared in his free hand. "Good-bye, Hero. Hyrule's restoration, and all knowledge of my crimes, dies with you!"

Suddenly he stiffened, and the ball blew up in his hand, sending tingling pains all over Link's body and pulling a scream out of Daphnes. The ghost let go of Link, who fell to the ground, and whirled round to face his attacker.

Propped up on one elbow, with one eye swollen shut and blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, Ganondorf held one hand upraised in a fist, pulling Daphnes away from Link with invisible string. "Apparently, you forgot that I was an accomplished sorcerer even before I laid hands on the Triforce."

"_What are you doing?_" Daphnes' shriek echoed throughout the chamber. "He is your enemy! Why are you helping him?"

Struggling to his feet, Ganondorf replied, "It is _because_ he is the Hero that I made sure he touched it first. I figured, given his record, he'd have the best shot of all of us, and we three all have the same goal." He made a short jerking motion with his hand and an invisible band tightened around Daphnes. "I can't claim a country that doesn't exist. Hyrule is _mine_, and I won't let a pathetic coward like you take it from me!"

Daphnes sneered. "Idiot. It was never yours to begin with. As for this boy, he has the same chance of restoring Hyrule as the rest of you; none at all."

He spread his hands, and a massive ball of energy appeared between them, whereas he himself began to fade. "Now die, boy, die as I will, without anyone knowing your history or your fate!" He raised his hands as Tetra attempted to pull Link to his feet.

Their heads jerked up upon hearing his cry of surprise and despair. Ganondorf stood with his arms wrapped around Daphnes' neck, his own magic power intertwining with Daphnes' and holding him in place. He fixed his mad gaze on Link and cried, "Don't just stand there gawking, you fool! Give the Goddesses your wish, or all this will happen again!"

Link drew in his breath sharply, and faced the golden icon that hung above them all this time. "I wish for Hyrule to be restored!"

The Triforce disappeared, and the flowing water around them stopped; but other than that, nothing happened.

Daphnes forced a laugh. "Idiot! Hyrule will return, but it will take years for the waters to recede. You heard what the Goddesses said; they cannot make such dramatic changes, not without a sacrifice equal to Zelda's!"

"That's enough out of you," the old warlord gasped, his face lined in pain as he summoned the last of his magic power. "Scatter and die!"

With a final bloodcurdling scream, Daphnes' spirit dispersed into a thousand flecks of light and disappeared. Ganondorf fell to the ground; both Link and Tetra ran to his side, Makar and Medli following behind.

"Hold on, hold on…" Link searched through his pockets. "I think I have some healing potion somewhere…" his face paled. "Oh no…I think I used it all up just to get here…"

Tetra opened her mouth to speak; suddenly a wave of energy rushed forth from the little group, spreading over Hyrule and enveloping everything within eyesight. A dazzling light filled their vision, and they raised their hands over their eyes.

Suddenly the light disappeared; they looked round and their jaws dropped in awe.

The ocean was gone.

* * *

"How can this be?" the young Goron muttered to himself as he stared out over the land, his little bag of items to sell forgotten on the ground. "Mountains, mountains everywhere…just like in the stories!" He ran forward, eager to find the caves that his elders had spoken of in the tales of old.

* * *

"Well, I never thought I'd see anything like this," the grubby pirate said to the tall one in a tiny voice. "What do you reckon it is? The end of the world?"

"Hey, look at this!" another member of the crew cried out, pointing to something half-buried in the ground. "It's a treasure chest! I didn't even have to dig for it!"

"End of the world indeed," the tall pirate answered, scrambling over the railing. "I've died and gone to heaven!"

* * *

"Grandma! Hurry, hurry!" Aryll pulled her along until she thought her arm would come right out of its socket. The two of them joined the rest of the island's inhabitants, who stood at what had once been the shoreline and stared out over the open land.

The old woman's eyes fell upon the castle in the distance, and blurred with tears. "Goddesses above…the Golden Kingdom has been restored…"

* * *

"Boy, come here."

Link whirled round to see Ganondorf's eyes open, watching him. "Do me a favor," the old warlord said. "Lift my head up so I can see my country."

Link scrambled over, and Ganondorf turned to Tetra. "What do you think now?" he asked with a crooked smile. "Being Princess isn't so bad, is it?"

Grave once more, he told her, "I don't have much time, so I want both of you to listen carefully." He waited until both Link and Tetra looked him in the face. "I'm giving this land to you."

"But…" Tetra began.

"Yes, I know it's yours to begin with," he grunted. "But once I am gone, there will be no one left who remembers everything that the Requiem of History told you. Valoo wasn't born yet, and the Deku Tree wasn't involved in most of it." He nodded at Link and Tetra. "Your ancestors fought hard for this world. Make sure you take care of it."

He laughed in their sad faces. "Your ancestors would also kick you both in the shins, getting all slobbery over the death of their old enemy. Ha! I wish I could see it. Ahhh…" He sighed deeply, closing his eyes for a moment. "Don't worry too much. I'd just cause trouble for you. Something tells me the Goddesses have other things in store for the three of us. We may very well meet again…just not in this lifetime."

He nodded toward the edge of the platform, and the two of them raised his head so that he could see out over the countryside. His eyes widened in awestruck rapture as he gazed out over the mountains, the lake, the castle, the fields untouched for a thousand years. "At last, at last…it is…so beautiful…."

His eyes glazed over, then closed. Link felt the body beneath him relax, and he and Tetra slowly lowered it to the ground. A faint smile still lingered on the old man's face.

Link was surprised to find tears stinging his eyes. _What's wrong with me? Why am I crying over this? He wasn't my friend. _ He could hear the others sniffling nearby.

"What should we do?" Tetra asked. "He's too heavy to carry downstairs for burial, and we can't just leave him here for the carrion-birds."

"We'll make a pyre. The four of us together should be able to bring that bed in here."

After much huffing and puffing (and a little bit of magic power here and there), they dragged the enormous four-poster from the next room into the middle of the platform, and hefted the body onto the mattress. Tetra folded his hands over his chest, and Link placed his double swords at his feet. After lighting the bedding, Link stood back with the others and watched the flames spread over the bed and its inhabitant resting in eternal sleep.

_Good-bye, Ganondorf. I hope you finally found some peace._


	12. Epilogue

_Seven years later…_

Sumara raised his hand to his eyes, his face burned and swollen from the harsh sun in the rocky badlands. Though he and his small troop had been traveling for hours with what was left of their pack mules, the mountains ahead of them didn't seem much closer. He didn't look forward to finding a pass through those mountains. But once he did, his people's tortured journey would finally come to an end.

Olina, his second-in-command, called the team to a halt as they reached the rocky foot of the mountains. "I know it's only late afternoon," she said as she wiped sweat from her face with her frayed sleeve, "but I don't think we can tackle those today. We need rest, and food."

He sighed, and sat down next to her with a scowl. "Good luck finding food. We'd waste more energy searching for it. We'll be driven to eating those big hairy spiders if this continues."

"If it's food you want, we've got plenty," a little voice piped up from somewhere above their heads. Startled, the entire group drew their cutlasses with a resounding ring of steel. "Who's there?" Sumara demanded to the open sky. "Show yourself! We are no defenseless travelers. We are former pirates, and we know how to fight!"

"Whoa! No need for that!" To the entire group's great surprise, a rock stood up from a cliff some distance above them and came hopping down. "You just seemed hungry is all."

Sumara and Olina stared at the owner of the voice, some sort of two-legged creature with no clothes and looking like nothing so much as the mountains around him. "We are, kid," Olina said finally, "and we'd greatly appreciate it if you could give us a bite to eat."

"Maybe you can give us directions, too," Sumara added, sheathing his weapon. "We have been traveling for weeks, looking for a country called Hyrule."

The creature's broad mouth spread even wider. "Well, this is sort of the edge of it I guess. This is the Gorons' province. Over the mountains you can see the castle, where Queen Tetra lives. They say she used to be a pirate herself."

The rest of the group chattered excitedly as Olina kneeled down to look the child in the face. "Can you help us get there? It's very important."

"Of course! Just follow me. Oh, and by the way, my name's Naru." He cheerfully waved the group toward a path, very narrow but still wide enough for the pack mules to pass. He led the group through a series of brightly lit, clean tunnels, and though Sumara began to feel claustrophobic in the narrow space he did not sense any evil intent from the little rock-creature.

Naru led them into an enormous pantry, and began pulling jars off shelves. Hearing the commotion, the biggest person Sumara had ever seen stomped into the room with a suspicious glance at the travelers. "Little one, what are you doing?" he demanded.

Focusing all his attention on the jars, Naru replied with an air of high importance, "I found some traveling pirates, looking for Hylian food. They wanna see Queen Tetra."

It didn't take an experienced fighter to see that the huge rock-man could easily tear them all limb from limb if he wanted to. Both Sumara and Olina bowed before him. "I apologize if we are trespassing. We are on an urgent mission to speak with the ruler of the land called Hyrule."

The rock-man scrutinized them with deep black eyes, an unexpected expression on his face. It wasn't suspicion; in fact, it seemed almost like recognition. "Well, we've got no place for thieves of any kind in Hyrule, but the Queen has a soft spot for pirates. If you're seeking asylum from someplace, I'm sure she'll be more than accommodating."

"Thank you, sir," Sumara replied, his limbs shaking from exhaustion as well as relief that his task was nearly over.

The Goron waved a huge hand. "No need for such formality. My name's Darunia, after the ancient Sage. You'll want to ask about the Sages when you get there, find out something you didn't know before." And with that mysterious message, he left.

After a refreshing meal, Darunia invited them to stay the night. All the beds were made out of stone, but it was still more comfortable than sleeping out on the badlands. The next day, Naru led them through the heart of the mountains, until finally emerging on the other side in the late morning.

It was more beautiful than Sumara had ever dared to dream. White mare's tails floated by in the deep blue sky, the golden field rippling in waves before them. On one side they could see a deep forest, emerald green and echoing with the cries of many birds. A deep lake reflected the sky above. On the side opposite the forest, a large castle loomed above all, solid as the stone where he stood, projecting a magnificent presence over the land around it.

It took them a long time to get to the castle, for every few minutes one of the group would find something incredible – a bright blue butterfly, a wild bush of blood-red roses, an entire wagon of plump watermelons. Sumara prayed to the gods that the vision he had received as a boy was correct, and that they would be allowed to stay in this beautiful place. His people had been a countryless nation for hundreds of years, wandering from place to place, tolerated like unwanted guests or thrown out like so much garbage. His little troop was all that remained of what had only been a few to begin with.

When he arrived at the town within the castle walls, he didn't even want to step on the clean flagstones of the enormous, prosperous place. Children ran by and waved, apparently not caring that an entire troop of ragtag pirates walked in their town. Women in simple but beautifully woven dresses haggled over bread and apples; another Goron invited the travelers to refresh themselves with spring water. Sumara's people had no money for such things, and drank from the fountain in the town square. They got a few odd looks but no one bothered them.

Once they started for the castle, though, the guards began asking questions. "Might I ask what business you have at Hyrule Castle?" the guard at the first checkpoint asked, politely enough but with an obvious glance at their pitted cutlasses.

"We are travelers from a far country," Sumara replied. "We have no country of our own, and have come to request asylum from Queen Tetra."

The guard gazed out over the little group, obviously not terribly threatened by the ragged transients. "All right, then, go on ahead. You'll have to leave your weapons at the main castle gate, though."

After a few more checkpoints and the main gate, they walked through the castle itself toward the throne room. They could not conceal their amazement at the golden chandeliers, the marble walls, the intricate tapestries. Suddenly Sumara stopped short, and gestured toward their escort, then pointed to a set of stained-glass windows. "Excuse me, but…who are they?"

"Those are the Six Sages and the Three Keepers of the Goddesses' Power," the escort replied with obvious pride. "They are the most important people in Hyrule's history. If I could, I would tell you the tale in its entirety, but it would take days and Her Highness is waiting." He walked on, and after a moment Sumara snapped out of his trance and followed.

Sumara and his group approached the throne with some trepidation, not sure what to expect. As he kneeled in front of the King and Queen, he stole a quick glance at both of them. Neither one seemed much older than he was. The Queen wore garments of obviously exquisite make, but they did not seem like a typical ruler's wear; in fact, they reflected those of a wealthy pirate more than anything. The King wore odd clothes as well, forest green and a little too casual for this environment. The King, their escort had told them, had earned his position as a famous warrior.

When he raised his head, he noticed with a start that both King and Queen stared at him openly, the same strange recognition in their eyes. Finally, Queen Tetra sat back in her throne and asked, "Travelers, what brings you to the Kingdom of Hyrule?"

"Your Highness, we have come to seek our home in your lands," he replied.

"How did you hear about Hyrule? We were told you traveled from very far away," the King asked, his tone friendly.

"It is a long but vital story, your Highnesses. Though it may sound strange, I beg that you hear me out." They both nodded.

* * *

The oldest legends of our people tell of a great flood that drove us from our home. Our leader perished, but his second-in-command somehow managed to find a bit of wood to cling on with a handful of her people. They were carried far, far away, adrift for several days, and feared that they would either drown or die of exposure. But just when all seemed lost, they sighted land. The second-in-command, whose name was Nabooru, helped the remainder of her people build a small settlement on the coastline.

Unfortunately, our ancestors did not get along with the other inhabitants of that country. They did not wish to absorb themselves into the rest of the people, but since they had no men of their own, they were forced to strike alliances with them anyway.

For hundreds of years, my people always met with the same problem. Some refused to speak with us at all, for apparently our ancestors' ancestors had a fearsome reputation. We took to the pirate's ways, unable to find any other method of supporting ourselves. Over the years our numbers rose and fell, until finally we were all but wiped out in a series of pirate wars.

One night, when I was ten years old, a man appeared to me in a dream. I had never seen him before, but he looked so much like one of us that I felt I must know him. "Go seek the land of Hyrule, once our home," he instructed me. "Follow the brightest star in the Great Sickle, until you reach the high mountains. Once over the mountains, go to the castle and speak with their leader, a woman named Tetra. A warrior named Link may be with her as well. Explain who you are, and request her permission to live there. She will likely grant it without any hesitation; but if not, remind her of the sacrifice I made."

I begged him to explain what he meant, or at least give me his name; but he refused, stating that saying his name in that land would only bring trouble. I couldn't be sure anything he said was true, or would help us in any way, but we had nothing left to hope for. So once we had sold all our possessions, including our ship, we began our journey. I'm sorry I cannot offer you any more than that; the only thing I can add is that a Goron we met on our journey said we should ask about the Sages, and as we walked through the castle, I saw portraits of them in the windows. One of them looked exactly like our ancestor who survived the flood, and another – one of the Three Keepers – was the man in my dream.

* * *

Tetra sat open-mouthed, staring at the young man who watched her with beseeching eyes. Turning to Link, she asked him, "Do you think it's possible?"

He nodded gravely. "At this point in my life, I'd believe anything is possible. But it must be true. How would they know the Spirit Sage's name? How would he know what the old portrait of Ganondorf looks like? Besides, it doesn't take a scholar to see they're all Gerudo."

She nodded. "Amazing…do you think his ashes somehow found their way to his lost descendants?"

"I do," Link replied gravely. "No doubt they called to him, and he could do no less than bring them home."

Rising to her feet, she announced in a voice that filled the throne room, "Let it hereby be known that the Gerudo, the descendants of Spirit Sage Nabooru and the Keeper of Power, shall be welcome in Hyrule; not just in the desert, but within all four corners of the country!"

The travelers whooped in ecstasy, and Sumara wiped the tears from his eyes. _At last, at last…stranger, I don't know who you were, but rest in peace knowing that your people have finally returned home._

**The End**


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